FAQs

Parent FAQs

Some quick links to our most frequently visited pages:

• School meals
• School uniform
• My child’s curriculum – here you can see our curriculum organised by subject and by year group.
• Latest news: letters, newsletters
• Our whole school and year group pages
• Home Learning, including homework  and remote learning

What happens if my child is late for school?

Occasionally a lateness cannot be avoided. In this circumstance, please bring your child to our school office to be signed in and lunch arrangements made. If your child is in EYFS, Y1 or Y2 will be escorted to class Mrs Young, Mrs Handcock or a member of our office team. Children in Y3 – Y4 will be given the option of walking to class themselves or going with an adult.

Help, my appointment ran over and I am going to be late collecting my child. What do I do?

There are times when parents/carers are late collecting their child from school. If this is going to happen, we ask that you contact us as soon as you know there is going to be a delay. For a short delay, we will be able to hold on to the child(ren) in the school office until you arrive to collect. For longer delays, your child(ren) will be placed into After School Club and there may be a charge.

If a child is not collected and no reason is given or we are unable to make contact with a parent/carer, they will go to After School Club and a charge will be made in accordance with our charging policy. If a child is still not collected, Children’s Social Care will be contacted and an ‘abandoned child’ report will be made.

Can I send someone else to pick up my child?

If you need to send someone else to pick up your child, please speak to the class teacher in the morning or leave a message with the school office. Each child has a permissions form with an agreed list of who is able to collect a child. We will not release the child to any adult, known or unknown, if we have not be given prior permission to do so.

For children in EYFS, the collecting adult will need to know the child’s password.

How will I know if the school has been unexpectedly closed?

We will email you via ParentPay and put a message on our website, Facebook page and Facebook forum.

Am I able to contact my child’s teacher? How do I do this?

Year group staff are always available at the start and end of the school day so it is possible to pass on a quick message during this time if you are dropping/collecting your child from school.

For longer/confidential queries a phone or face to face conversation may be more appropriate. In these cases, you can contact the teacher via the school office, by phone or email, you message will be forwarded directly on to the class teacher and they will contact you as soon as possible.

Our teachers are unable to respond to queries during teaching time or if they are supervising children during break times so it is likely that you will be contacted at the end of the school day. If you require an urgent response due to concerns about your child’s wellbeing in school that day, please make this clear in your initial communication with us. One of our Pupil Family Support Workers will contact you and begin any actions that may be needed asap to ensure the matter is dealt with swiftly and any support is put in place. For these urgent matters, you can also come to the school office and ask to speak to one of our PFSWs – Mrs Young or Mrs Handcock.

How will you communicate with me as a parent/carer?

For all year groups we use ParentPay to share letters and our fortnightly newsletter.  If we send a letter which includes a form that needs to be completed and returned, we will always send a paper copy home as well to avoid families needing to print letters at home.  For parents/carers who have chosen not to have a Parent Pay account, we will provide a paper copy of all letters. However, there may be a slight delay in this coming home to you compared to when electronic copies were sent. 

Please follow our social media channels and check the school website too. We share regular updates of what we have been doing in school, including a weekly round up with photographs and an update from each year group.

In EYFS we also use Tapestry, an online platform, to share your child's learning with you.

Do you have a school council?

Yes we do, and they are a fantastic bunch.  Every class from EYFS to Y6 has an elected representative on the school council.  Each year, children will stand to be elected to the school council and there will be a private vote within the class to decide the winning candidate.  To help their classmates make a decision about who to votes for, children standing for election will tell them why they would like to be on the school council and which skills and attributes they can offer.

Our school council meets regularly. They decide on and organise fundraising throughout the year, including organising Children In Need and Red Nose Day events.  In addition, a the start of the year the decide on priorities to improve our school and work towards these each term.

How can my child contribute their views to school?

Children are heard and listened to in a variety of ways. These include: school council, pupil voice interviews, sharing news, selecting the clubs that will be offered each term and through our curriculum e.g. PSHE lessons.  Children are actively encouraged to share their thoughts and opinions; where groups and individuals have a passion that they would like to share with the wider school community, they can request time in assembly to do this or may event start their own club.

What do I do if we have lost property?

Please ensure that ALL clothing (including coats) and property (e.g. lunch boxes and water bottles) are labelled with your child’s first name and surname.  This helps us to ensure that lost uniform can be returned to its owner.

If your child has lost any of their belongings, please speak to their class teacher so we can check the classrooms and lost property for you.

How long do the children get for lunch?

All children have an hour for their lunch break.  This includes time for eating and time for playing outside. Children in Reception/EYFS and Year 1 are seated for lunch first meaning they can take longer to eat if they need to.

Each year group is allocated 30 minutes for eating but if they finish sooner (after 15 minutes), they are allowed to go out to play. We monitor the length of time the children take to eat their lunch to help ensure that no children are rushing their food or only eating a small amount so they can go out to play sooner.

It’s my child’s birthday, please can I send in sweets and treats for the class?

If it is your child’s birthday, any treats that are brought into school to be shared with the class must be individually wrapped and include the ingredients so that we can ensure they have been stored safely and that allergens can be carefully checked prior to handing sweets out.

Please do not send treats that are homemade or contain nuts as one of their ingredients – we will not be able to share these with children.

Teachers often keep a small supply of treats so that children with allergens can be given something when another child brings in sweets to share with the class. If your child has allergies, you may wish to provide a small amount of treats so that the teacher always has something to hand to give your child if they are unable to eat the sweet brought in by their classmate.

Will my child get to go on school trips?

Yes, examples of school trips the children have experienced in the past include Bristol Zoo, Mendip Outdoor Pursuits, Silent World and Year 6 residential. With the exception of school camps in Year 4 and Year 6, all trips are selected to support and enhance a specific curriculum areas.

Due to escalating coach costs, if we can offer the same valuable experience through organising visits into school, we will seek to do this in the first instance.  For example, Year 1 children were visited by a variety of animals, including 3 species of owl, and their very knowledgeable keepers from Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm and North Somerset Bird of Prey Centre.  Children were able to observe the animals up close, handle them and ask questions during 2 focused sessions that supported both their science and English curriculums.

Will my child receive homework?

Yes. We request that all children read at home at least 5 times a week, this may include a mixture of reading to an adult as well as being read to (the value of a bedtime story can never be underestimated).

In EYFS, children are set weekly challenges on Tapestry. Children in Y1 – Y6 are given other activities to help them practice essential maths fluency skills as well as opportunities for retrieval practice from other curriculum areas. Visit the home learning section of our website for full details of how we organise homework for the different year groups at Mendip Green.

Can my child have extra music lessons?

Yes. Every child at Mendip Green has some music lessons as part of our curriculum. In Year 4 children have ukulele lessons in class for 2 terms. These lessons are taught by expert teachers from the North Somerset Music Service. However, you can pay for your child to have tuition in school, through the North Somerset Music Service, for a variety of instruments.

My child isn’t naturally very sporty but is quite keen on taking part. If they don’t make the team, is there still opportunity to do extra sports outside of PE lessons?

Yes. Although we do have teams which are selected for competitive events we also attend events that are inclusive of all abilities.  We aim to participate in as mange events as we can across a year and will always endeavour to take as many children as we are permitted.

We try to make our sport as inclusive as we can. There are after school clubs run by sports coaches which are just for fun. In addition, on Friday afternoons for 3 terms each year we offer enrichment clubs where children can select from a range of clubs, including sports clubs, run by teachers and support staff. In the past, these clubs have included football, netball, running, dodgeball, dance, yoga, multi-skills and cheerleading.

My child is a budding star of stage and screen! Do you have any performances or productions that they can audition for?

We have our annual Christmas plays in EYFS, Year 1 and Year 2, In Year 3, the children take part in a Christingle which includes opportunities for readings, singing and playing instruments.  The Year 4 and 5 Christmas concerts offer further opportunities for singing.  Year 6 perform an end of Year show.  Past shows have included, Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Bugsy Malone and Pirates of the Currybean.

In addition to opportunities that include all children in a year group, we have additional chances for the children to perform on stage, including performances ate the Weston Playhouse.  This includes the North Somerset dance festival and music festival.  We also have an after school drama club.

My child isn’t really into sports. What other extra clubs or activities can they take part in?

At Mendip Green we have a variety of clubs on offer both within and behind the school day.  After school, as well as sports clubs, we have dance club, drama club and a Lego club. We are adding more clubs all of the time listen to requests from children and their families when organising these.

In addition, we have sports coaches on the playground at lunch times who encourage children to participate in more active games.  These are focused on team building, collaboration and turn taking, whilst exposing children to games that they may not have tried before and could play without an adult to lead them.

For 3 terms in a year, we offer enrichment clubs for all children on a Friday afternoon.  Children can sign up to the club that interests them the most so they can pursue an existing passion or try something new. Clubs we have run in the past include, science, computing, cooking, sewing, knitting, art, origami, chess, yoga, singing, cheerleading, gardening and a range of sports clubs. The clubs on offer each term will change based on the children’s requests.

At their last school, my child was bullied so I am really worried about it happening again. How do you deal with bullying from both sides – the bully and the bullied?

At Mendip Green, we teach children to be kind, to show respect to everyone and to understand how their words and actions can affect somebody. This is underpinned by our school values: ‘We do the right thing.’

We support children who feel they have been bullied by giving them the time and space to discuss their worries and concerns.  This may be with their class teacher or with one of our Pupil Family Support Workers. Any incidents of bullying are dealt with swiftly, keeping the families involved informed throughout. Full details can be found in our anti-bullying policy.

What happens if my child is ill or hurts themselves at school?

Your child will be taken to our school office where they will be checked by a qualified first aider. If it is a minor injury such as a cut or graze and it is possible to the treat your child, we will do before sending them back to class. 

For bigger injuries or if we believe a child is too unwell to be in school and needs to be at home, we will keep your child in the office where they will be cared for whilst we contact you. For some accidents and illnesses we may recommend that you seek additional medical advice from a walk in centre or your GP.

We are able to take give first aid, take temperatures and provide sick buckets but we can only administer medication if prior permission has been granted in writing. If your child needs to take medication for any length of time, please bring the medication to the office and complete a quick form for us.

If your child was in difficulty or had a more serious accident then there are instances when we will consult NHS Direct or an ambulance will be called. Whilst a member of staff makes contact with emergency services, a separate member of staff will make contact with you.

What happens if my child has headlice?

If we notice during the school day, we will phone you to let you know.  Preventing spread relies on parents/carers being vigilant and treating their child’s hair promptly. Therefore, we will notify all parents/carers in the class so that they can check their child’s hair.

Can I park at school?

We encourage walking to school if you are able. Parent cars are not allowed in the school car park without authorisation. This is to keep you and your child safe. When parking on surrounding roads, we ask adults to park safely and legally, and to respect our neighbours by not blocking driveways or junctions.

Our carpark is fully pedestrianised during the. The yellow barrier at Nutwell Road is closed at 8:25 and remains closed until 8:55 or until there are no children in the carpark, if this is later. At the end of the day, the barrier is closed at 3:10 and remains closed until 3:30 or until there are no children in the carpark, if this is later. During these times, we ask that no vehicles are moved in the carpark.

The small carpark at our Nutwell Road entrance is for cars displaying a blue badge, taxis dropping or collecting unsupervised children or vehicles that have been organised through North Somerset School Transport. On occasion, due to specific circumstances, other vehicles will be authorised to park in this area – this is always with prior consent from the headteacher or another senior leader.

There is currently no vehicle access through our Greenwood Road entrance at anytime during the day.

Can my child cycle/scoot to school?

Yes – we encourage families to ride and scoot to school as often as possible. We have bike and scooter racks on site. All bikes and scooters should be locked up when they are left in the bike racks.  Children can bring helmets into the classroom where they can be safely stored in their cubbyhole or on their peg for the day.

We offer the children the opportunity to participate in Bikeability during Year 5 so they can learn the vital safety skills for cycling safely both on and off the roads.

No matter which category bike or what type of riding your child enjoys, they should always wear a helmet when cycling. Making sure your little one wears a helmet at a young age will influence safety as they get older. We take the safety of our children very seriously.  If we notice children cycling without a helmet, we will contact you to ensure you are aware of this.