THEY have sprung up in almost every public place and one could be coming to a school near you soon. Vending machines are a growth area in the soft drinks market. In an effort to put their product as close as possible to the consumer, Coca-Cola have come up with a vending machine package for schools they claim benefits both parties.

Coca-Cola will install and service a vending machine full of its products in a school free of charge. They pay the school commission of five pence for every can sold, or £1.20 for every case of 24 cans. On average, Coca-Cola estimate that schools benefit by around £400 per annum.

For every case of 24 cans sold, the school receives a point that can be used to buy products from a Coca-Cola gift collection. This collection includes items like a violin (190 points), microwave (400 points), first aid kit (18 points), atlas (80 points) and computer discs (40 points).

"We find," says Aidan Hoey, education channel developer with Coca-Cola Ireland. "that sports goods - like nets, balls and bibs - are very popular items on our gift collection. When schools acquire the goods from the gift collection, which are delivered within 28 days, we like to think that the students can see tangible benefits from having the vending machine in their school.

Coca-Cola are also encouraging recycling. We provide schools with special bins for used cans and advise them about the recycling companies nearby. Schools would generally receive 50 pence for every bag of used cans from the recycling company.

Not everybody, however, is altogether happy with what some describe as Coca-Cola's "blatantly commercial" involvement in schools.

"Our position," says Nick Killian, PRO for the Post-Primary tier of the National Parents Council, "is that any money raised in schools should be put back into the schools. Money raised in tuck shops, for example, is used in many cases to fund extra-curricular activities like transport to sporting events and theatre trips.

"However, many schools may feel that a vending machine is a lot easier than running a shop themselves. Before they agree to have a vending machine installed, however, schools should consult their local parents' association. What's important is that the vending machine should not cut across existing funding arrangements."

For Transition Year students, Hoey also says that Coca-Cola can offer retail advice to those starting a tuck shop as part of a "running a business" project and provide a free loan cooler that stocks the company's products.

"Many schools and students," he says, "have found our advice to be important when setting up tuck shops. We can point out pitfalls that are easily avoided."