Sign up now to pre-order cashless school meals

Parents and carers are being urged to sign up for the online ordering and payment system in schools across North Ayrshire. iPayimpact is the payment method used in primary and secondary schools as a simple and secure way to pre-order school meals and pay for other school purchases.

Most parents/carers have already signed up for iPayimpact but some are still missing out on the advantages of the system.

For parents/carers of primary school pupils, it means food choices can be discussed with your child at home and meals can be ordered in advance, cutting down on lunchtime queues and food waste. This facility is available for those entitled to free school meals and for those who pay.

Secondary school pupils also need to have an iPayimpact account registered by their parent/carer but the pupils have access to an app called Fusion where they can pre-order their own lunch using their phone as well as being able to pre-order at kiosks in school dining halls.

Pre-ordering helps ensure pupils get the lunchtime meal they want quickly – less time queuing and more time making the most of their lunchbreak. The app is available for all secondary pupils whether on free school meals or for those who pay.

Simple steps for secondary school pre-order via the app:

1. Parent/carer registers and sets up an IPayimpact account
2. Parent/Carer requests an onboarding code – this is used by the pupil when downloading the app.  The onboarding key is provided by your school office or by emailing onlinecashlessqueries@north-ayrshire.gov.uk
3. Pupil is ready to pre-order via the app

The iPayimpact system is not only used for paying for school meals but will be used to pay for all school purchases such as trips, events, music tuition fees, hoodies and other items. You can access this through a desktop PC, tablet, or a smart phone, enabling you to review payments, purchase history and current balance anytime, anywhere.

If you are not digitally confident and need a helping hand to sign up for cashless payments, please email onlinecashlessqueries@north-ayrshire.gov.uk or speak to reception staff in your school.

Free school meals provision: Currently, the Scottish Government’s universal free school meal provision covers all Primary 1 to Primary 5 pupils, as well as expanded provision for children in Primary 6 and 7 if their parent or caregiver is in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment.

North Ayrshire Council is proud to be one of eight pilot local authorities to receive temporary funding that will now see the expansion include S1 to S3 school pupils in all nine of our secondary schools, meaning that even more young people across North Ayrshire will have access to a free meal during term time. Funding has been provided for one school year; therefore, this temporary provision will run until Tuesday 30 June 2026.

A data sharing agreement has been put in place providing details of those who are eligible under the expanded provision. As such, all eligible young people will be auto-enrolled for the service and no application is required for this group. Credit will be applied daily to all eligible accounts to access a meal deal.

Pre-ordering is available now: For primary schools, pre-ordering via iPayimpact is available – up to one week in advance. Sign up via the council website. For secondary pupils, orders can be pre-ordered via the Fusion app.

Councillor Macaulay added: “Now is the ideal opportunity to sign up to our online cashless payment system for school meals. iPayimpact has many benefits, including making the lunch service quicker and reducing queuing time for pupils. It also ensures that children and young people get the menu items of their choice.

“With the expansion of free school meals for both P6 to P7 and S1 to S3 pupils whose families are in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment, we are urging more families to sign up for iPayimpact to take full advantage of the healthy and free school meals available.

“Registering for the pre-order app also benefits behind-the-scenes too, as our catering teams are aware of the quantity of meals and specific food items required resulting in more efficient use of resources and most importantly reducing food waste – a key area of focus for our Climate Change Priority of the wider Council Plan."

The main difference this school term is that parents and carers will now be able to use iPayimpact in conjunction with the MyNAC account – this is a dedicated customer account that links iPayimpact, Council Tax, rent and a range of other services in a single, secure, account.

Published: 10 November 2025