As it stands, eight schools in the Australian suburb of Bacchus Marsh are to take part in the trial, which has been praised for being the first mobile payments scheme of its kind. The technology, which was created by MasterCard Labs, allows parents to pay for their child’s lunches up to two weeks in advance, all which will be processed through the new mobile compatible system.  They will also be able to make payments for things such as school trips and swimming lessons this way.

Ian Wren, principal of Bacchus Marsh Primary School, has been involved in the pilot since the summer. He explained:  "We have had some parents saying it's the best thing we have ever done. It's very much the future — our kids are very tech-savvy."

Currently, around 40% of parents at this particular school have tried the new system.