Haltwhistle Academy Newsletter

Quad Kids County Qualifiers

We are incredibly proud to share that five boys and five girls were selected to represent our school at the Northumberland County Qualifiers. Competing against pupils from schools across the county, our team took part in a range of exciting track and field events. 

Every one of our athletes gave their all on the day, showing great determination, teamwork, and sportsmanship. Their fantastic effort and positive attitude made them excellent ambassadors for the school, and we are delighted with how well they performed.

A big well done to the whole team — you did Haltwhistle Academy proud!

This term, we say a fond farewell to Heather Smith, a valued member of our kitchen team. Heather has served the school community for many years, providing delicious meals and a friendly smile to generations of pupils — and to the children of parents she once served!

We are incredibly grateful for her dedication, warmth, and hard work over the years. She will be greatly missed by staff, pupils, and families alike. We wish Heather all the very best for the future and hope she enjoys a well-deserved rest!

This week, we were delighted to welcome parents and carers of our Key Stage 1 children to join us for dinner. It was a lovely opportunity for families to spend time together in the school environment and share in a delicious meal. The children were proud to show off their dining routine, and there were lots of smiles all around. Thank you to everyone who came along – it was a truly enjoyable occasion!

Year 4 and 5 had an amazing trip to the Queen’s Hall to see a production of Michael Morpurgo’s ‘Farm Boy’. The children were taken by the cast members who portrayed grandpa and the Grandson and were hooked from the very beginning. They loved the tractor prop, especially when it started up at the ending of the production. 

It's all about the insects in our Early years forest school sessions this half term. Finding them, identifying them and recording what we have seen.

Our outdoor environment is the perfect place for us to find a huge variety of insects. Together we have been finding all kinds of bugs, butterflies and beetles and sharing our knowledge with each other.

Attendance - Hot Chocolate Friday!

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 hot chocolate and a biscuit or two!

Who will it be next week?

School driveway

Please could we remind parents that the school driveway can be used at the following times only:

• To drop off for breakfast club (before 8.20am)

• To collect from after school care (after 3.45pm)

The drive is closed to vehicles from 8.20 - 9am and 3pm - 3.45pm to ensure the safety of the young children walking to and from school.  Only school taxi's and drivers with a blue badge can use the driveway during these times and must observe the 5mph limit.  

Thank you for your support.

Citizen's Advice

Internet Safety & Mental 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. 

Please help us to help your child catch up by ensuring they are in school and ready to learn every day.

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

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.