School told biometric plan would be a 'criminal waste of money'

A SCHOOL has been warned it would be a "criminal waste"of money to install biometric testing equipment as the row over cashless catering rumbles on.

Hull Trinity House School was strongly criticised earlier this month when it became the first in the city to scan children's fingerprints to trigger payment for their lunch.

While it was accepted that the system – which is used in a number of schools across the country – offers administrative benefits, concerns have been raised about the dangers it poses of identity theft, and that the practice might stigmatise children.

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Now there is speculation that a second city secondary school, Kelvin Hall, was planning to install the equipment at a cost of about 20,000 – despite it being set to move to a new building next year as part of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

Hull Council leader Carl Minns said: "We have advised our schools not to use it (the technology).

"Kelvin Hall will be one of the first to be rebuilt under BSF and biometric testing equipment will not be going in to any of the new schools.

"It's likely to cost 20,000 to put in only for it to be ripped out in a year's time, and to me that's just a criminal waste of taxpayers' money."

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Coun Minns criticised the system in a debate at a meeting of the full council yesterday.

He referred to comments made by Microsoft employee Kim Cameron, who said people would be "raving mad" to use conventional biometrics to improve the efficiency of school lunches.

Coun Minns said: "Very serious players in the IT world say the technology doesn't work, and I'm going to take the word of someone who works for Microsoft over the word of the people who are selling this equipment."

The Information Commissioner outlined some of the concerns about the use of biometrics in schools two years ago.

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The regulator said: "One objection to fingerprinting in schools is that it stigmatises those who have their fingerprints taken.

"It is felt to be indicative of mistrust and suspicion and is identified with being 'treated like criminals'."

The commissioner continued: "Others are concerned that fingerprinting in schools will teach children that giving up important personal information, and particularly biometrics, to those in authority is perfectly routine and mundane.

"It has even been suggested that fingerprinting in schools is part of a concerted attempt to 'soften up' the younger generation for increased state privacy intrusion."

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The commissioner said those using biometric systems should employ high standards of security to safeguard them, and destroy the data when it is no longer needed.

Coun Minns said: "There are concerns about the technology; it's not secure.

"Children's fingerprints could be stolen and once it's gone it's gone for life."

No-one at Kelvin Hall was available for comment, but Trinity House headteacher Andy Twaits defended the system used at his school in a statement.

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He said: "We need to point out that this system does not involve the storage of fingerprints.

"The biometric system we have installed simply scans the 10 points of a student's finger and converts these points into a numeric reference. It is only this numeric reference that is stored within schools and it is impossible to reconstitute a fingerprint from this biometric reference."

Mr Twaits said 99 per cent of parents supported it.

The Trinity House system was installed in line with guidance from BECTA, the Government's Schools' ICT Agency advisory body.

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