School dinners have been taken to another level at the canteen in the Boys Model School in Belfast. The pupils sit on designer chairs watching TV on three huge screens while eating lunch paid for with a special cash card. And there's not a bowl of lumpy custard in sight.

The school is one of a growing number in Northern Ireland to opt for a cashless system. A small plastic card - like the traditional cash card - is topped up with money using a vending machine and swiped when food is paid for. The card can also be used to borrow books from the school library and there are plans to use it to keep track of pupil attendance.

The canteen itself has been totally revamped.In addition to the televisions, there are sparkling glass brick walls, tasteful tiles and high stools that wouldn't look out of place in the trendiest cafΘ. Given the amount of time pupils spend in school, principal Jim Keith said it was important to create the right environment for them to spend their lunch breaks.

"It's great," said one pupil as he polished off an Ulster Fry. "Nobody can rob your dinner money anymore. If they take your card you just cancel it and get a new one".