At Ashdon we keep payments simple. Everything you need to pay for — school lunches, milk, trips, visits and clubs — sits in one place, on your phone or your computer, and can be dealt with in a couple of minutes.

From 1 September 2026 all school payments are made through Arbor, our school management system. Arbor replaces Scopay, which the school no longer uses. If you were a Scopay user, you do not need to do anything with your old account — simply set up your Arbor login using the steps below.

What you can pay for

• School lunches — £3.30 per meal, cooked on site

• School milk — 

• Trips and visits — voluntary contributions towards the cost of educational visits

• Non-uniform days and charity events

• Donations to school appeals — see “Donations and fundraising” below

Note: wraparound care is booked and paid for directly with KidzActive, not through Arbor.

Getting started

You only need to do this once.

1. Look out for your invitation email. Arbor will email the address we hold for you, with a link to set your password. If it has not arrived, please check your junk folder before contacting the office.

2. Set your password. Follow the link and choose a password. You will also be asked to confirm your child’s date of birth as a security check.

3. Download the Arbor app. Search for “Arbor” in the App Store or on Google Play. It is free. Sign in with the same email address and password and select Ashdon Primary School.

4. Or use a web browser. You can sign in to the Arbor Parent Portal from any computer at [insert your school’s Arbor Parent Portal web address].

If more than one adult needs access, or if your email address has changed, please contact the school office on 01799 584219 or admin@ashdon.essex.sch.uk and we will update our records.

Making a payment

1. Sign in to the Arbor app or the Parent Portal.

2. Tap or click Payments.

3. Choose the item you want to pay for, or top up your child’s meal account.

4. Pay by debit or credit card. You can save your card securely for next time.

You will receive an email confirmation, and every payment you have made is listed under Payments so you always have a record.

Lunches and milk

Children choose their meal each morning with their teacher, so there is no need to book in advance. Meals are charged at £3.30 per day and taken from your Arbor account, so please keep the account in credit. Arbor will send you a reminder if the balance is running low.

If your child is entitled to free school meals, there is nothing to pay. You can find full details of eligibility, how to apply and what is served each day on our Lunches page.

Trips and visits

When a trip is arranged you will receive an Arbor notification with the details, the cost and the date by which consent and payment are needed. In most cases you can give consent and pay in the same place, which saves a paper form coming home in a book bag.

Charges for educational visits are voluntary contributions. No child is ever excluded from a trip because a contribution has not been made, but trips can only go ahead if enough families are able to contribute.

If money is tight

Please talk to us. Costs mount up, and we would far rather have a quiet word than have a child miss out. Contact the school office in confidence and we will find a way forward — that might be spreading a payment, checking whether your family qualifies for free school meals and Pupil Premium funding, or drawing on support we hold for exactly this purpose. It is handled discreetly and it will not be discussed with anyone who does not need to know.

Refunds and credit

• If a trip or activity is cancelled, anything you have paid is refunded.

• If your child leaves Ashdon, or when Year 6 move on, any remaining credit is refunded or transferred to a sibling’s account.

• If you think something has been charged in error, please contact the office and we will look into it.

Donations and fundraising

Small contributions tied to an appeal or a non-uniform day are easiest through Arbor. For larger gifts, and for anything towards buildings or equipment, please give through the Friends of Ashdon or the PTA so Gift Aid can be claimed and your donation is worth 25% more to the school at no extra cost to you.

Is it secure?

Yes. Card details are handled by Arbor’s payment provider and are never seen or stored by the school. Arbor is used by thousands of schools across the country and meets the same security standards as online banking. You can see how we look after your family’s information in our Privacy Notice.

Need help?

If you cannot sign in, cannot see a payment you are expecting, or would simply rather someone walked you through it, please get in touch. We are very happy to sit down with you and set the app up together.

School office  ·  01799 584219  ·  admin@ashdon.essex.sch.uk

Arbor also publish step-by-step guides for parents in their own help centre: [insert Arbor parent help centre link].