Mendip Green Primary School is a family school. We believe strongly in caring for our children, families and wider community.  As part of our School Based Early Help offer, our  Pupil Family Support Workers support parents and children both in and out of school. 

Lorraine Young, Sarah Handcock and Angie Griggs are our Pupil and Family Support Workers. This pastoral role includes working closely with children, parents/carers, staff and outside agencies to ensure the well-being of individual pupils is fully supported.  

For the child, they are someone supportive to talk to, share successes with, or to provide help with difficulties or worries. They offer a 'safe' place and work with children to raise self-esteem, remove barriers to learning and thus allow children to reach their full potential.

For the parents/carers, they offer a listening ear, can share positive parenting skills, lend resources and, where needed, refer families to external agencies for more in-depth advice.

Free School Meals 

The Department for Education (DfE) is introducing changes to the national free school meals (FSM) eligibility criteria from September 2026.

All families currently entitled to FSM must reapply to continue receiving the benefit in September, as transitional protections* will end at the end of this school year (July 2026).

Also, the DfE are expanding FSM eligibility so many more families may now be eligible. We are therefore asking ALL parents and carers to apply over the summer.

If your child is in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2, they will receive a free school meal

through the universal infant free school meals scheme. However, we still need you to apply as it can help the school receive additional funding to support pupils.

What you need to do

All families are requested to check eligibility by 1 September 2026, please use this link: https://www.cloudforedu.org.uk/ofsm/pp-extendlearning/     

It is important that you apply, as this will enable the school to receive additional funding that provides extra support and benefit to children.

Goodwill at Mendip Green

We know that the cost of the weekly shop is going up at the moment and it is likely that energy prices are going to rise significantly in the coming months.

We are engaging with local supermarkets and Weston Foodbank to ensure that our ‘Goodwill Shelf’ is fully-stocked and ready to support our families.

If you are struggling to make ends meet, or you know somebody who is, PLEASE take whatever you need.

The shelf is in our entrance foyer and accessible from 7.15am to 6pm. No questions asked. Just turn up and fill some bags.

We are also able to support families by:

- helping you apply for Free School Meals

- providing Foodbank vouchers

- supporting with uniform

- offering payment plans and support for trips and events

If it is easier, you can email support@mendipgreen.extendlearning.org

Your email will be seen by a limited number of pastoral staff, who will treat it with confidence. We can even deliver food to your house if it helps.

PLEASE don’t struggle alone or think that someone else’s need is greater. We have enough resources to support everybody.

Food Bank 

If you are ever worried where your next meal is going to come from, are going without meals so that your children can eat or finding it hard to feed your family, there is support available for you.

Please speak to our Pupil Family Support Workers or any other member of staff who you feel comfortable discussing your worries with.

If it is easier, you can email us at support@mendipgreen.extendlearning.org.  Your email will be seen by a limited number of pastoral staff, who will treat it with confidence. 

As a school we are able to issue food bank vouchers for you and your family. During the holidays, we can issue food bank vouchers just to cover the meals your children would usually have received at school.

Please note that food bank vouchers are signed and authorised by the Designated Safeguarding Lead, and therefore cannot be handed out immediately. However we will always get this to you as soon as we can. We are now able to issue foodbank vouchers via email and over the phone by giving you a code.

If you are in need of extra help during this difficult time we are here for you!

Please send us an email for more info or to request vouchers.

Email: support@mendipgreen.extendlearning.org

In the email please include:

• Your full name and address
• How many people live in your household and the ages of these people
• If you have valid ID that you can take to the food bank (recent utility bill is accepted)
• Brief reason as to why you require vouchers

All of the above are required for us to complete the application online for you.

Uniform Support 

Should you find that you need help or assistance with uniform, please contact Lorraine Young or Sarah Handcock via the school office or speak to your child's class teacher.. 

You can also contact us confidentially via support@mendipgreen.extendlearning.org.

How can we help in school?

• We have a number of uniform items in school which we can be given to families (branded and unbranded).
• Each term we put unnamed lost property on tables for families to take what they need.
• All stationery is provided by the school.
• Book bags are provided to all new EYFS starters as a gift from our PTA. 
• We can support you by providing water bottles and branded book bags (Year 1 and Year 2).

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Families regularly offer uniform for free or a few pounds when it is in good condition but their child has grown out of it.