Haltwhistle Academy Newsletter

Welcome back!

We hope you all had a wonderful summer holiday and enjoyed some well-deserved rest and family time. It has been lovely to welcome the children back to school—they have settled in quickly and are already showing great enthusiasm for the year ahead.

We would also like to thank you for your patience and support as we get used to our new systems and the changes to access through the new gate. Your cooperation has made the transition much smoother, and we really appreciate your understanding.

We’re looking forward to a fantastic term ahead, full of learning, growth, and exciting opportunities for the children.

Inspirational People

This week, the children have been exploring the life and achievements of an inspirational figure who has made a lasting impact on the world. Through stories, discussions, and activities, the children have been learning about the challenges they faced, the values they stood for, and the difference they made.

It has been wonderful to see the children so engaged and curious, asking thoughtful questions and making links to their own lives. We hope this learning will inspire them to think about the qualities they admire in others and how they can show these in their own actions, both in school and beyond.

We also celebrated our very own inspirational person!  Congratulations to Phoebe, who was awarded the Hannah Dennis Alopecia Awareness Award on Friday. This very special award recognised Phoebe's remarkable fundraising for Alopecia UK.  Phoebe has championed a number of fundraising events, including hikes and events such as Crazy Hair day.  This summer Phoebe, supported by her family, walked 26 miles around Kielder reservoir in a single day.  In assembly, Phoebe told the school all about her adventure, her very early start in the morning and how she managed to complete this marathon of a walk in just 12 hours!  We were all very impressed!  

To recognise the contribution that Phoebe has made to the community, she will be our Honorary Fundraising Ambassador for Haltwhistle Academy this year.  She will be advising and supporting our School Parliament when they make decisions about this years fundraising initiatives.  If you'd like to learn more about Phoebe's fundraising achievements or make a donation, further information can be found in this news article by Alopecia Uk.   We hope that Phoebe's story inspires other children who will also share their fundraising achievements and community contribution.  

Autumn fruits in Early Years

Our first forest school session of the Autumn term was a celebration of Autumn fruits. We collected black berries, squashing and squeezing them to get all the juice out and then using the juice to make lovely purple marks with brushes and sticks. We squashed plums with mallets to find the stones inside which we then planted in our garden. We peeled and chopped apples to find the seeds which we also planted in our garden. So many skills learnt and so much fun had with friends in the warm Autumn sunshine.  

Our School Skills

Attendance!

Pupils who are in school everyday for a week (100% attendance) are entered into a hat and chosen by random. 2 lucky winners from Years 1-6 are chosen to enjoy a drink and a sweet treat. 

Who will it be next week?

Citizen's Advice

Internet Safety & Mental Health

Children's Health 

Healthier Together App

Haltwhistle Family Hub

Attendance Matters

Every second in school counts, as missing school, whether by being late or taking unnecessary days off, creates more new learning gaps which need to be addressed.  The best way you can support your child to recover from the lost school time of recent years is to ensure they are in school and ready to learn every day. 

We are always available to support with attendance. Please come to the office and someone will be happy to help. 

We want every child's attendance to be good or better.  This means 96%+

Please check your child's attendance (see our app) against the class and national data.  School staff are able to offer support if your child's attendance is of concern.    

Please do not take your child out of school during term time as it disrupts your child’s learning and you risk financial penalties.   Any term time leave of absence must be applied for more than 2 weeks before the date of leave and can only be authorised by the Headteacher in the case of EXCEPTIONAL circumstances.  Please could we urge parents to book holidays during the 13 weeks of annual school holidays which are available each year.    In line with our attendance policy, we are required to refer all qualifying absences due to holidays during term time to the Education Welfare Officer at Northumberland County Council.  

If leave has not been authorised and your child is out of school then you may receive a minimum fine of £60 per child, per parent.  If the time out of school makes your child’s attendance drop below 90% then they are known as persistently absent under the governments attendance definitions.  This means that you may face prosecution through the courts. 

Pupil illness - Please note that in line with the new attendance guidance, we need a clear reason for absence for the school register.  If your child is 'poorly' their absence is registered as unauthorised until a reason is provided. Please contact the school office as soon as possible so that the illness reason can be authorised.   

Under the new government policy, if one parent takes their child on an unauthorised term time holiday, both parents with parental responsibility could be subject to a fine issued by Northumberland County Council.  This includes when parents are separated.  

Before and After School club bookings

Places at breakfast club and after school club can be booked and paid for on your Arbor app.  Please note that bookings must be made at least 48 hours in advance to ensure we have adequate staffing available. Please speak to a member of our office team if you need to make a short notice booking 01434 320467.

Calendar of Events - Please scroll to see all dates

If reading this on your phone, please turn your phone sideways to be able to scroll through our planned dates.  You can also add our calendar to your own phone calendar to be sure you don't miss a date.  

Our school designated safeguarding leads are Susie Drake, Alex Wood, Vicki Ridley, Robyn Brockman - Crow and Shirley Phillips

Everyone is responsible for safeguarding children.  Please speak to a member of this team if you are concerned about the safety of a child.