WEST Dunbartonshire Council has announced it will extend its online payment service for parents and carers to pay for school meals and activities.

ParentPay is an online service which allows users to make payments into a secure online account, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is already in place at some primary schools in Alexandria.

From January, it will be available to the remainder of primary and secondary schools in Alexandria and Dumbarton.

The online service removes the need for children to be provided with dinner money, and means that pupils will no longer have to carry large sums of cash to pay for school trips and activities.

Councillor Karen Conaghan, convenor of educational services, said: “This service has been welcomed by parents and carers at the schools it was launched at last year.

"Parents recognise the online service as a really convenient and secure way to pay for school services.

“Those with more than one child at school, or children at other ParentPay schools, can create a single account that will cover all of them.

"Not only does this new service remove the stress of searching for school dinner money each day, it also prevents young people carrying large sums of money to school.”

Parents are also able to pay for services via Paypoint, with sores located throughout West Dunbartonshire.

For more info on the service, please call education services on 01389 737309 or visit parentpay.com.