Sophie McKeand, from Mold, received a letter from Mold Alun High School, where her children are pupils, saying they were introducing a "cashless catering system", where children will pay for their school dinners using either a fingerprint identification system or a pin number.

The idea is that pupils put their dinner money into an account and when they pay for their lunch, their fingerprint is scanned or a pin number is used.

Miss McKeand said: "I am shocked and outraged at the new 'biometric cashless catering system' being introduced in Mold Alun High School next month.

"As a parent with two children at the school I was dumbfounded to receive a letter stating that Flintshire Council intends to launch this system in the school by Tuesday, February 26.

"I strongly disagree with ID cards and feel this is the perfect way to institutionalise our children and get them to accept this level of monitoring from an early age. They will not then complain about ID cards when they reach adulthood.

"This is totally unacceptable. I was given only four days to return the slip giving my consent to have my children fingerprinted or be given a pin number in order to buy food from the canteen.

"To say that I am outraged is an understatement. It is an infringement on children's human rights to be fingerprinted like criminals.

"To have such important and sensitive biometric data being taken from children for a matter as trivial as buying lunch is absolutely absurd."

She has now set up a parent action group and is hoping that anyone who shares her concerns will get in touch.

She said: "If any other parents in Flintshire share my concerns please email me at s.mckeand@btinternet.com as I am forming a group of concerned parents to challenge the council on this matter."

A numerical value is derived from pupils' fingerprint and it is this number that is stored, and not the actual image of the fingerprint.

A spokesman for Flintshire Council said: "Parents have received a letter explaining how the system works and also provides parents with the option of their children using a PIN number rather than the biometric data.

"If any parent is unhappy with either of these options, arrangements can be made for pupils to pay for their school meal by alternative means.

"The introduction of the system into the Alun School in Mold follows extensive consultation with the school governing body, a focus group of parents, the school council, the sixth form council and the PTA.

"This has been an open and transparent process fully involving pupils and parents, and in recognition of legitimate concerns by parents, a dual system will be in place. We have only received one complaint about the pilot."

The system is being introduced as a pilot scheme at Mold Alun High and is currently being trialled at Elfed High School in Buckley.