Haltwhistle Academy Newsletter

The Haltwhistle Academy family grows! 

Miss Kennedy is absolutely delighted to share some very special news with you all - baby Archie made an early arrival into the world on Saturday 14th June. Both mum and baby are doing well, and we couldn’t be happier for her and her family at this special time.

We send our heartfelt congratulations to Miss Kennedy and can’t wait to meet the newest member of the school family!

Community Week

As part of our community week at school our Early Years children have been working together to create some beautiful painted rocks. On Friday, the children took a stone each to hide in and around Haltwhistle. Friends, Family and our extended community can then look out for our lovely stones, leaving them for the next passer by to find or hiding them in a new place and adding to the fun. 

Children across the school have been busy creating thoughtful cards and 'Pocket Hugs' for the residents at Haltwhistle War Memorial Hospital, sending their best wishes and letting them know we are thinking about them. We will be collecting all the completed cards over the coming days. A group of our pupils will then deliver them to the hospital in person over the next few weeks.

The Year 6 pupils took part in a litter picking activity around the town. Armed with gloves, bags, and litter pickers, they worked hard to collect rubbish from streets, paths, and green spaces. They gathered a lot of litter, helping to make the area cleaner and safer for everyone. It was a great way to show care for the environment and pride in their community.

Sponsored Walk Success!

We are thrilled to share the fantastic news that our sponsored walks has raised an incredible £2,308.00! A huge thank you to all the children, families, and supporters who helped make this possible. The enthusiasm, energy, and generosity shown by everyone involved has been truly inspiring.

Every step taken and every penny raised will make a real difference — we are so proud of our school community for coming together in such a positive way. Well done, everyone!

From seed to plate in Early Years!

Our Early Years children have been busy little gardeners this term! As part of their hands-on learning, they planted seed potatoes earlier in the year and watched with excitement as the green shoots began to grow. With plenty of care, sunshine, and a bit of watering, the potatoes grew beautifully — and this week, the children finally harvested them!

The fun didn’t stop there — after digging them up our fantastic kitchen staff cooked their potatoes. The best part? Sitting down together to enjoy the delicious results of all their hard work. It’s been a fantastic way to explore where food comes from and to learn about nature, patience, and healthy eating. Well done, Early Years!

This week in Year 6, our super scientists were fully engaged with their learning whilst dissecting a lamb's heart.The children had to initially find out about the function and structure of the heart then were challenged to identify the external features, including the major blood vessels.They were very brave and all took it in turns to examine the heart; they said it was the best lesson ever!

Tickets can be purchased from the pool until Tuesday 24th June. (limited number left).

You don't have to swim you can do dry activities for the full 2 hours! 

Party in the Pool

Saturday 28th June 2025

3pm - 5pm

@ Haltwhistle Swimming and Leisure Centre  

️Tickets are £5 per child (CASH ONLY)

Tickets include: 

-1 hour swim

- pool games

- Soft play 

- face painting 

- Child's Entertainer

- mini disco +games in the studio 

- Access to astro turf

- Hot dog, biscuit, cake and Juice up until 4.30pm

Bee Netball Has Arrived! 🐝🏐

We’re excited to share that we have now received our Bee Netball kit, thanks to the generous support of the Johnston Carmichael Bee Netball for Primary Schools Funding. Earlier this year, we were thrilled to learn that our application had been successful, and we’re proud that our enthusiasm for developing netball stood out.

Since then, our Bee Netball pack has been delivered to school, and we’re now looking forward to introducing even more netball into our sports programme. The children are eager to get involved, and we can’t wait to see their skills and confidence grow as they take part in fun, inclusive netball sessions.

Thank you once again to Johnston Carmichael and England Netball for this fantastic opportunity — we’re already buzzing with excitement!

Shrek The Musical - Can you help us?

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

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.