Silverstone UTC Centre of Excellence, based in Northampton, operates for young people studying at GCSE or college education level. Based at the Silverstone racing grounds, the establishment opened in September 2013, specialising in high-performance engineering and technical events management with a hands-on, practical approach to learning.
Silverstone UTC aims to prepare work-ready young people. It currently enrols 350 students and hopes to expand to over 550.
Cashless Catering, Access Control & Card Management
CRB Cunninghams deployed Impact Cashless Catering, Paxton Access Control and Card Printing solutions at Silverstone UTC when the site opened in 2013. Harrison Catering, the college's catering provider, recommended installing a CRB Cunninghams cashless catering system after working with many schools that are already customers.
Silverstone noted that cashless catering sales are around 25% higher than cash-based sales, improving efficiency and producing a much larger turnover. In addition, Silverstone UTC has key partners who utilise CRB Cunninghams' solutions.
Neil Hopkins, Business Manager at Silverstone UTC, stated that the main reasons for choosing CRB Cunningham's solutions were "to remove the need for students to carry a lot of cash around the college, improve the speed of lunch service, providing safeguarding and security on site." Therefore, CRB Cunninghams' cashless catering solution and Paxton Access Control were the perfect solutions for the Silverstone site.
CRB Cunninghams' cashless catering system has almost entirely eradicated the need for students to carry cash within the education environment. Around 80% of students use the cashless system, and only approximately 20% still use cash. Silverstone UTC is hoping to transition into being 100% cashless.
The college values the "no cash" initiative and noted that lunch service has become quick and efficient. The cashless catering system operates via one database, and with parental permission, the student account can link to biometrics or an ID card, allowing food and drink to be purchased.
The users' biometric input provides a quick and secure method for purchasing food. Students can use the card alongside the cashless catering system and Access Control. Students who don't want to use fingerprint biometrics can opt for the card-only solution.
One of the unique benefits of a cashless catering system is that if students are eligible for free school meals, their accounts and purchasing processes are the same as those of students whose parents use the online payment function to credit their children's accounts. This anonymity eradicates the free school meal stigma that sometimes leads to peer-to-peer issues.
Parents can fund students' accounts online, view their child's account to check balances, set up spending limits, and monitor eating habits to ensure the child maintains a healthy, balanced diet.
When speaking about the cashless catering the system, Mr Hopkins stated,
"For me, cashless catering is the key solution. Access Control is a good thing and is necessary, but the view that students can buy their food and drink either with their fingers or with their cards is the one thing that stands out for me. It is easy."
Improved School Security
With Silverstone UTC located within the Silverstone racing grounds, security on-site is crucial. The college opens its doors to the public on race days, which could cause some safeguarding issues. CRB Cunninghams, a gold supplier of Paxton Access Control, fitted a turnstile-based access system that only allows people with a registered ID card to enter the building.
Visitors must report to reception before entering and exiting the premises, so anyone not DBS checked cannot enter unaccompanied. During the day, the turnstiles are closed, slowing people down while entering the building and creating a steady flow with the students moving reasonably.
An Access Control point has also been fitted to the ground floor elevator. It is accessible before reaching the turnstiles at the college's front entrance, so access to the elevator is restricted, making the site completely secure. It also does not stop students from accessing the ground floor from the elevator or any other college floor.
Mr Hopkins commented that the necessity for ID cards "gives the building a much more business-like feel because everybody has an Access Control card, which is also their ID card. One of the driving forces behind the school is to create work-ready young people. Having an ID card linked to an automatic access system and cashless catering solution is much more like being in a business than a college."
Silverstone UTC has the facility to print cards. This process involves taking photographs and biometrics from students at the beginning of the academic year and using them to produce the cards quickly over a couple of days. If necessary, the college can order cards directly from CRB Cunninghams, who will print them and send them to the college.
The installation of the cashless catering system and the Access Control system was straightforward. CRB Cunninghams advised which products, software, and hardware were most suitable and necessary and where to cut costs, which has proved helpful when on an education budget.
The Result
"The training was very useful, and the support I have had is good. If we've had an issue, CRB Cunninghams have dealt with it. I don't have to get involved, which when you've got multiple suppliers in a busy college, the best suppliers are those you don't have to get too involved with." - Mr Hopkins.
In the future, Silverstone UTC is considering a CRB Cunninghams Electronic Registration system to automatically register students in the morning and save staff time manually registering pupils.
Overall, the CRB Cunninghams solutions installed at Silverstone UTC have cemented the security and efficiency of the college whilst allowing students and staff to concentrate on the more essential aspects of day-to-day college life.
When speaking about CRB Cunninghams, Mr Hopkins said: "If another school were looking for the same things, then I would have no hesitation in recommending CRB Cunninghams as a supplier of these products."
