Our Useful Documents and Information

 

Our School’s prospectus can be found here.

School Meals

 

All current and future menus can be viewed on the BromComm 

The Menu operates on a rolling programme and meals are cooked on site daily. The Mendip School is a part of the Food For Life initiative and has a commitment to providing healthy options and a well balanced diet in its school dinners. The school is also a participant in the Schools Fruit and Vegetable Scheme, our eligible pupils receive free fruit and vegetables which they can have every day at school with the hope that they will try and experience new healthy foods and establish a habit of eating them in the future. The school has also opted in to the Free School Milk that the LEA can provide for those aged between 5-7 and the group that is eligible receives a carton of milk each day at school. Other parents can arrange for milk to be bought in.

Lunch is served in the school dining halls. Dinner money is paid via BrommComm The cost of a school meal is £2.00 for junior pupils and £2.50 for senior pupils per day.

Arrangements can be made for pupils requiring a special diet for health for religious reasons and a vegetarian/Vegan meal is always available.  Pupils not wanting a hot meal can be provided with a freshly prepared sandwich.  Pupils can also opt to bring in their own packed lunch.

Please ensure that any drinks are stored in unbreakable containers, no glass bottles or cans please.

All pupils should remain on the premises during lunch times.

Free School Meals

Here is information regarding Universal Infant Free School Meals

 

The B&NES  and Somerset Free School Meals Eligibility Checking service now has a new Free School Meals web page on their respective websites with a link to an online benefit related free school meal application form which can be found using the following links:

Somerset

BANES

If you live out of county and your child is starting at The Mendip School, parents/carers will need to apply to B&NES for a benefit related free school meal, either through the usual route (ie Free School Meal Application Form FSM20) or through the new B&NES free school meals website, even if you had a claim for free school meals at a previous out of county school –  If the B&NES Free School Meals service do not receive an application your child will not automatically appear on our school list as eligible.

If your child is in year 6 in a B&NES Primary School going into year 7 in a B&NES Secondary School and they are currently receiving benefit related free school meals, there is no need to reapply as eligibility to a free school meal will transfer to their new B&NES secondary school . The only time you should reapply is if your child previously attended a school from another county – then you would then need to apply through the B&NES Free School Meals website as mentioned above.

Below is a list of qualifying benefits for free school meals.

  • Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods)
  • Income Support
  • Income-Based Jobseekers Allowance
  • Income Related Employment Support Allowance
  • Child Tax Credit (WITHOUT Working Tax Credit) and have and annual household income (as assessed by HMRC) below £16,190
  • Run-on Working Tax Credit which is only paid for 4 weeks after you STOP qualifying for Working Tax Credit
  • The Guaranteed Element of State Pension Credit
  • Support under PartV1 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

Please see here for more information about Free School Meals                                FSM Poster (1)

The School Day

 

8.55 am to 9.05 am                             Registration/Tutorial

9.05 am to 9.35 am                             Period 1 / Assembly

9.35 am to 10.05 am                           Period 2 – 30 minutes

10.05 am to 10.35 am                         Period 3 – 30 minutes

10.35 am to 10.50 am                         BREAK

10.50 am to 11.20 am                         Period 4 – 30 minutes

11.20 am to 11.50 am                         Period 5 – 30 minutes

11.50 am to 12.20 pm                         Period 6 – 30 minutes

12.20 pm to 1.00 pm                           LUNCH / AFTERNOON REGISTRATION

1.00 pm to 1.30 pm                             Period 7 – 30 minutes

1.30 pm to 1.55 pm                             Period 8 – 25 minutes

1.55 pm to 2.25 pm                             Period 9 – 30 minutes

2.25 pm to 2.50 pm                             Period 10 – 25 minutes

2.50 pm to 3.00pm                              Taxi classrooms for home time

 

Most lessons are delivered as two periods, i.e. are 1 hour long

Some pupils may have lunch at 11.50 – 12.20 with a longer lunch break.

There is occasionally a whole school assembly on Friday afternoon at 2 pm.

Homework

Homework encompasses a variety of activities and expectations matching the very broad range of ages and abilities of children attending the school.

Homework can include independence and social skills requiring parent/carer support. Here is our statement about homework

Therapies

Therapists working at The Mendip School include:

  • Speech
  • Occupational
  • Music
  • Physiotherapy
  • Art
  • Play
  • Information can be found here:

Policies

Policies available on the school website under our Statutory Information Menu found here

Term time holiday form

Holiday Request Form

Medicines

Parent/carers must complete a medical form if they wish the school to administer medication or enable pupils
to administer own medication.

Please deliver the medicine to school admin staff at the school office or class team. Medicine must be in the original
packaging with labels clear and complete.
Parent/carers must inform the school if the medication changes, including dosage.
This is a service which the school is not obliged to undertake.

Click here to download the Medical Form 

or use this QR code

Immunisations

Somerset School Aged Immunisation Nursing Team (SAINT)

Behaviour

At The Mendip School we:

  • expect high standards of behaviour and work at all times
  • take a positive approach to behaviour
  • encourage pupils to show consideration and care for people and property.

The Mendip School does not tolerate bullying in any of its forms.

All of our policies can be found here  

Equal Opportunities

It is The Mendip School’s intention to develop attitudes and ways of behaving which respect individuals regardless of their ability, colour, culture, gender or social circumstances.

All of our policies can be found here  

The school is unequivocally opposed to any form of discrimination and it seeks to form a partnership with pupils, staff, governors and parents to combat ignorance and prejudicial attitudes both in school and in the community as a whole.

Sport

 The main aims of the sport curriculum are:

  • to enable all pupils to develop their physical skills, appropriate to their individual capabilities
  • to emphasis performance, working with others, health and hygiene, safety and the ability to plan and review work

 

A wide range of activities are offered, ranging from more traditional sports such as football, tag rugby, tennis and swimming through to cycling, boccia and hill-walking. Sports competitions will also be arranged within the school.

Parental Involvement

We believe the best team is the child, the parent and the teacher working together.

Parents are invited into school three times a year to discuss their child’s progress or review the statement and complete a care plan. A home visit can be made at the request of parents or may be suggested by a member of staff. There are parents evenings and open days during the year.

There are several events during the year to which parents are invited by letter. We are always grateful for your support.

We always contact parents immediately if we are concerned about any aspect of their child’s welfare, progress or behaviour. We hope that parents will let us know of any problems or anxieties which might affect their child, at an early stage.

Complaints Procedure

Our Complaints Procedure is available in full from the school or Here

We believe there is a free flow of information between home and school but recognise there may be times when misunderstandings arise. You may be concerned about aspects of your child’s progress or you may be unhappy about a   particular event or activity which you have heard has taken place. In any event, it is important you do not keep a problem or concern to yourself but approach the school.

The first point of contact for a specific concern should always be the appropriate teacher. If you are not sure who is most appropriate, explain the concern to your child’s class teacher, or tutor, who will be able to suggest whom it is best to speak to.

It is preferable if you can agree a time a place to discuss your concerns in peace and quiet rather than at a time when the teacher concerned is possibly surrounded by other children and/or parents. This could be a telephone conversation at an agreed time.

We would expect most problems to be sorted out in this informal way by a frank and open discussion, free from distraction.

Please remember that all members of staff wish to help reassure you by listening to you and helping you.

Sometimes you may still feel dissatisfied with the outcome of your discussions and want to take the matter further. If you are in this situation you may wish to make an appointment to see a Senior Member of staff or the Principal.

If, following your informal discussions, you wish an investigation to be undertaken by the school, you should put your concerns in writing to the Principal. The Principal will at this point ensure you are fully aware of the formal procedure.

Parents also have the right to put their complaint in writing directly to Ofsted.

Enquiries
National Business Unit
Ofsted
5th, 6th and 7th Floors
Piccadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester
M1 2WD

Or you can fill in an online complaints form at www.ofsted.gov.uk/onlinecomplaints

Tel: 0300 1234 234   Email: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk

Dress Code

 We believe that school uniform helps us to encourage an atmosphere of work rather than leisure.

Therefore we do not allow casual clothes to be worn in school.

Further details will be available in the ‘Welcome Pack’ that is sent to you before your child starts school.

Transport

 Transport for some pupils is provided free by the home local authority for all pupils attending the school in line with its own home to school transport policy. Please contact your Local authority to discuss options.

Religious Education and Collective Worship

Religious Education has a special status as part of the basic curriculum and has equal standing in relation to the core and other foundation subjects

  • Religious Education is formally timetabled as a subject in its own right
  • assemblies are held daily within class bases
  • final assembly each week provides an opportunity for individual pupils to share their achievements with the whole school.

School Records

All parents/carers connected with the school have right of access to all documentation specifically relating to their child.

Parents also have the right of access to the following documents:

  1. The school curriculum
  2. The National Curriculum and associated documentation
  3. The syllabus
  4. The arrangements for consideration of complaints about the school curriculum
  5. The annual governors’ report
  6. Minutes of governors’ meetings
  7. School policies regarding religious and sex education
  8. OFSTED school reports for The Mendip School
  9. The school Improvement Plan
  10. Statutory Information about the school that must be published on the school website

 

If not available on the website, enquiries about any or all of the above should be made to the Principal in the first instance.