Haltwhistle Academy Newsletter

Attendance week special!

We kicked off attendance week by putting our best foot forward in our favourite shoes - and what a wonderful week it was! We loved seeing your incredible creativity during "Anything but a backpack day," starting our mornings singing and dancing with Reg, our attendance mascot, and finishing strong with Chocolate Fountain Friday, officially dubbed "the best day ever."   Thank you to everyone for supporting fantastic school attendance this week, helping us achieve an incredible 98.1% attendance rate between Monday and Thursday. A special thank you goes to Mrs Phillips, Mrs Hind, and Mrs Taylor for creating the biggest, most chocolatey fountain ever! 

Early Years Pumpkin Extravaganza!

Thank you to everyone who came to our 'Early Years Pumpkin Extravaganza Stay and Play' session. The weather was very kind to us and we had a fantastic fun filled afternoon in our Early Years garden. Pumpkin wheelbarrow races, potion making, conker and spoon races and bird spotting were just a few of the activities we enjoyed with our family and friends. Before going home we scrambled down the hill onto the school field to pick a pumpkin from our very own pumpkin patch.

Y1 Playdough pumpkins!

Year 1 have loved creating their own pumpkins using play dough this week! It has been lovely to see their excitement as they proudly shaped their pumpkins, experimented with different tools and added their own special patterns and details. Through rolling, pinching and squeezing the play dough they have also been strengthening little muscles in their fingers and developing their fine motor skills, all while having lots of fun!  

Year 3 Geography walk 

Despite the relentless rain and very wet weather, our resilient Year 3 and Year 4 pupils carried on regardless during their exciting geography trip around Haltwhistle. The children did a fantastic job spotting various town features, showing true determination despite the downpour. A huge thank you goes out to our wonderful adult volunteers, whose support kept the trip running smoothly and safely. We are also incredibly grateful to Father Steve, who kindly welcomed us into the warmth of the church to get dry and enjoy a well-deserved biscuit.  

Y5 update

PE - The children have been completing their Gymnastics unit, this week they were combining all of the skills they have learned to create a sequence of movements. The children have been challenging their balance and core strength in partner balances, bridges, rolls and shoulder stands. Some children were even able to display their cart-wheeling skills which was a bit more of a challenge to catch on camera!  

History - This week, Year 5 were soaking up all the history they could from our pre-trip visitor and from the trip to Vindolanda itself. They were able to explore the different artefacts and evidence at the site, and then discuss what life must have been like for the Romans all those years ago. The Medusa ring was a real highlight for many children. The children then used all they had learned to help them complete their history end points. What wonderful pieces of work they have produced!  

Y5/6 Vindolanda Visit

After a half term of learning about 'Life on the Roman Wall', the children in Years 5 and 6 spent a day exploring the historical site of Vindolanda. Prior to the visit, Lucy Drake came into school to help prepare the children for what they would see and experience. The children listened well and asked some very valuable questions. Whilst on site, they were able to use their newly acquired knowledge to further investigate the lives of the Commanding Officer and his wife, soldiers, women, children and slaves. After investigating artefacts found at Vindolanda in the classroom, the children were amazed to see the real finds in the museum and learn more about how the special anaerobic soil had helped preserve the artefacts. 

First Aid training

10 members of our team updated their Pediatric First Aid training over the past 3 weeks. Thanks to Sarah from Daisy First Aid for updating us and the opportunity to try some new training devices.

Keeping this crucial training up to date is essential for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of every child in our care. Pediatric first aid equips our staff with the confidence and practical skills to respond swiftly and effectively in unexpected medical situations - from everyday playground scrapes to more serious emergencies. By regularly refreshing these competencies, we maintain a secure, prepared, and supportive environment where children can learn and play with peace of mind.

NCC Parent SEND conference

Smartphone concerns

Building Emotional Resilience - 10 top tips

Holidays in Term Time

Inspiring Futures: Careers, Choices & Community

This section will highlight how we are supporting children to develop their aspirations by learning about the world of work and the many career pathways available to them. It will share information about visiting speakers who talk to pupils about their jobs, opportunities for parents and carers to come into school to discuss their own careers, and activities that help children understand how their skills and interests can shape future choices. Together, these experiences aim to inspire ambition, broaden horizons, and help pupils see the link between education and future opportunities.

We warmly invite parents and carers to get involved by sharing their own career experiences with our pupils. Whether through a short talk, a classroom visit, or answering children’s questions about your job or career pathway, your involvement can make a real difference in inspiring and broadening our pupils’ understanding of future opportunities. If you are interested in taking part, please get in touch with the school — we would love to hear from you and welcome you into our learning community.

Our School Skills

Citizen's Advice

Children's Health 

Healthier Together App

Haltwhistle Family Hub

Our New Breakfast Club Provision

We are delighted to see how popular our new breakfast club provision has been with the children! As a reminder, we offer both paid early-start options and a free morning provision for all pupils from Reception to Year 6:

• Early Start Breakfast Club (Paid):

  • Nursery: 7:45 AM – 8:30 AM

  • Reception to Year 6: 7:45 AM – 8:15 AM

• DfE Free Breakfast Club (8:15 AM – 8:45 AM):

  • Full Breakfast (8:15 AM – 8:30 AM): Served in the hall for Reception through Year 6. Children can enjoy cereal, toast, yoghurts, and fruit, alongside indoor activities and yard play.

  • Grab & Go Bagels (8:30 AM – 8:45 AM): Available during classroom soft start as staff greet families at the gate.

Important Communication Update

Please note that, due to safeguarding and online privacy reasons, we have reduced our activity on social media. To ensure you do not miss any important updates, celebrations, or upcoming events, please make sure to check our weekly school newsletter, which will serve as our primary platform for all school news and announcements.

Thank you for your continued support in making our school community such a fantastic place to learn and grow. We look forward to working alongside you for a happy and successful year ahead!

Safety Comes First

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, Julie Phazey, 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.