Children In Need
To raise funds for Children In Need we are holding a non-uniform day on Friday 15 November 2019.
Pupils and staff are invited to wear non-school uniform (normal school rules apply, eg no earrings, makeup etc), for a donation of £1.00. This is, of course, optional. If you do not wish your child to take part please sent them to school in their normal uniform.
There will also be various fundraising stalls during lunchtime.
Thank you for your support, we look forward to letting you know how much we have raised.
Please work with us to ensure your child is absent as little as possible so as not to miss out on any of their education. Please read the information below carefully.
Sickness Absence – this should be reported first thing in the morning, before 8.50 a.m. This should be reported via a message on the school answerphone and we ask that you do this every morning that your child will be absent from school so that we know your child is safe with you. We also need to know exactly why your child is absent – ‘unwell’ is not a specific enough reason. Please do not email.
If your child is not in registration and we have not received a message from you, we will contact you initially by text to find out where your child is to ensure your child is safe. If we do not hear back from you by 9.30 am we will then phone the contacts on your child’s contact form, starting with Priority 1, until we get an answer. In the interests of your child’s safety, if we are not able to clarify the whereabouts of your child by 10.00 am, this will become an urgent safeguarding matter.
Appointments – please, where practically possible, make all appointments after school time. We do understand that you do not always have a choice and we ask if this is the case; try to make them so they can be collected after 1.15p.m. thus not missing out on their morning lessons or their afternoon registration. Please let us know (before the event) when the appointment will take place and sign all pupils in or out of the school office. Please keep ‘time out’ for appointments to an absolute minimum, if possible, pick pupils up and bring them back afterwards. Every lesson in school is important and pupils need to ensure they catch up with what they have missed whilst they have been out, they can do this by asking a friend to collect any work or homework or see the teacher of the lesson they missed.
Request for Leave of Absence – An ‘Application for Leave of Absence’ form will need to be completed and handed in with at least two weeks’ notice prior to the first day of absence but we ask that more is given if possible. We must be made aware of your plans so we know your child is safe. Please also be aware that we have very strict government regulations to follow and cannot approve any family holidays during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. If the reasons given for a child’s absence from school are not satisfactory then the Local Authority may take legal action.
Some examples where leave of absence would be granted as exceptional circumstances are: family weddings or graduation ceremonies; forces personnel on leave from a foreign posting; the holiday is important for the wellbeing and cohesion of the family following serious or terminal illness; bereavement or other traumatic events.
Music and Dance exams – These tend to take place during school hours, however we ask that you try where possible, to arrange the exam so that your child is out of school for the minimum amount of time. You must ask permission for your child have time off for an examination and this is at the Headteacher’s discretion. Your child will not be granted authorised time off if this has not been pre-arranged.
I am sorry this all sounds very stern but the main message is to keep us informed. We want your child to achieve their very best and get the most from our school and good attendance is key to this. If you are ever unsure about an absence, please contact me at school to discuss.
Dear Parents & Carers,
It has been a busy few weeks at Dr Thomlinson CofE Middle School.
Well done to our U11 Girls Football team who won the U11 Shield Competition for the Morpeth and Ponteland area at Ponteland Middle School on Tuesday 22nd October. The team completed all 6 games of their games without losing or even conceding a goal. They beat Belsay, Chantry B, Richard Coates C and Darras Primary, and drew against Richard Coates B and Heddon. Goal scorers for our team were Lara, Amy and Lacey, and the player of the tournament was Zara.
Our U13 Girls Football team came 4th in their group, beating Newminster B, but losing to Ponteland High A and B, Chantry A and Newminster A. Scorers were Cerys and Skye, and the player of the competition was Cerys.
Invite to a Curriculum Consultation Evening – November 6th 6pm
The school is amending the way it reports on Attitude to Learning. Parents & Carers are invited to attend a consultation meeting on the changes on November 6th at 6pm. The event will take place in our library at Dr Thomlinson CofE Middle School and will last no more than an hour. The consultation is part of our on-going work in consulting all stakeholders on our curriculum.
Local Democracy Week – 14th October – 18th October
On Thursday, October 17th Dr Thomlinson CofE Middle School took part in the European Local Democracy Week – the aim of the week being “co-designing local democracy together with citizens and practicing open government”.
Our Year 8s had the chance to see a presentation from Northumberland County Council and ask questions from a panel of local politicians comprising of Richard Dodd,Steven Bridgett, Trevor
Thorne and Ashley Arkle.
The Three Rivers Learning Trust Climate Change Conference – 18th October
Dr Thomlinson CofE Middle School staff and Year 8 House Captains took part in a Climate Change Conference at the Corn Exchange, Morpeth Town Hall on 18th October. The event was designed to develop the Learning Trust’s strategic policy on climate change. The Trust wants to help our students acquire knowledge and agency to take the lead, to provide platforms to help them speak out and help us find ways to act together and reduce our impact on the climate. This conference on climate change is the beginning of our journey towards a better future.
Half Term
Please remember that our school is closed on Monday, 4th November for a school inset day. The school will reopen on Tuesday, November 5th.
Harvest Festival
Thank you to all those who donated canned food as part of our school Harvest Festival on October 23rd. The food will be collected and donated to the Alnwick Food Bank.
Take care,
Liam Murtagh
The school is amending the way it reports on Attitude to Learning. Parents & Carers are invited to attend a consultation meeting on the changes on November 6th at 6pm. The event will take place in our library at Dr Thomlinson CofE Middle School and will last no more than an hour. The consultation is part of our on-going work in consulting all stakeholders on our curriculum.
Timetable for middle, high and secondary schools
Y4 parents and Y8 parents need to apply for their child’s place at either Middle or High School. The application process is now open.
| Thursday 12 September 2019 | Application process opens
Online Admissions Portal can be accessed here |
| Thursday 31 October 2019 | Closing date for all applications to be received by the Local Authority |
| Monday 2 March 2020 | National Offer Day. E-mails sent to those parents who applied online and who requested to be informed by email. Parents who applied on a paper form will have a letter sent out to them today |
| Monday 16 March 2020 | Deadline for parents to refuse the school place. |
| Monday 23 March 2020 | Any places that become available are allocated in criteria order (on time applicants) |
| Friday 17 April 2020 | All remaining places allocated on a first come first serve basis |
| Thursday 31 December 2020 | No waiting lists held by the Local Authority after this date. |
FAQS
Frequently asked questions about school admissions (entry years) in Northumberland
Q. How do I apply for my child’s school place?
A. From 12 September 2019 (Middle, High, Secondary) and 1st November 2019 (Reception)
onwards you can apply for your child’s school place online at www.northtyneside.gov.uk. If
you have any difficulties in applying please note that the Citizen Portal only works with
Windows Explorer Version 10 and above, or Chrome, or Firefox or on mobile devices. If you
are having difficulties please make sure your device has the most up to date version If you
do not have access to a computer you can complete a paper application which is available
on the School Admissions website.
Q. How important is it for me to ensure my application is received by the deadline?
A. Very important. If you don’t make an on-time application, there is a risk that all available
places in your preferred school will be taken and your child will be offered a place at an
alternative school. You must tell us why your application is late. We will consider your
reasons and if they are exceptional we may consider your application along with those
received on time.
Q. Do I have a right to a place at the school of my choice for my child?
A. No. Parents do not have an absolute right to choose the school they want for their child.
Parents have a right to state a preference for a school and the Local Authority and other
admission authorities have a duty to comply with that preference.
Q. How can I assess the likelihood of securing a place for my child?
A. From the school’s admission policy – available in the ‘School Admissions Handbook’ you
will be able to work out how high up the list of admission criteria your child will be. You can
find information about the number of children the school can admit in September, as well as
the number of children admitted within each admission category last year. However, you
must treat the information about previous years with some caution because circumstances
can change from year to year. For example, if a new housing development opens in the
catchment area of a small First or Primary School, it may affect the number of catchment
and out of catchment applicants the school can admit.
Q. Will my child be guaranteed a place in the catchment area school?
A. The Local Authority or admission authority cannot guarantee places in any school. If you
apply to your catchment school the chances are usually high that you will be offered a place,
but this cannot be guaranteed. Changes in the pattern of parents’ preferences and changes
in local population may mean that some schools will be oversubscribed from within their
catchment area.
Q. How do I find out the catchment area school for my address?
A. By logging onto
http://northumberland.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=8aa658f92b2a4237834519c4330fc07c
Please note that your child’s permanent address determines your catchment school and it is
this address which must be used on the application form.
Q. Will my child be guaranteed a place in a school that their older sibling already
attends?
A. The Local Authority or admission authority cannot guarantee places in any school,
especially if you want your children attend a school that is not your catchment school.
Q. My child lives at different addresses during the week. Which address do I use when
applying?
A. When considering your application the admission authority will use the parental home
residence of the Parent/Carer who receives the child benefit or child tax credit. If the address
on your application form is not your child’s normal address, you must provide a child
arrangement order issued by a court if you wish that address to be considered. Admission
authorities will not accept any other arrangements e.g. where parents delegate parental
responsibility to a grandparent or other family member unless you have court documentation
that supports their living arrangements.
Q. What if I move house after the deadline?
A. If you move into a particular schools catchment area and do not notify us by 9 January
2019 for Middle and High School applications and 1 March 2019 for First and Primary
applications, your new address will not be considered before the ‘offer day’. If you move or
send evidence after 9 January and 1 March it will not be possible to process your child’s
application using your new address because the allocation process will have already started.
However, please let us know because we can send your allocation letter with the offer of a
school place to your new address.
Q. What if I move into rented property?
A. You must have a rental agreement of 12 months or more or ends in the Autumn Term in
2020 (31 December 2020). We will require proof of your new address i.e. rental agreement
and copy of council tax statement. Please note we will not accept tenancy agreements for a
sixth month period.
Q. Can the offer of a place be withdrawn?
A. The Admission Authority reserves the right to withdraw places in certain circumstances
i.e. where a parent uses fraudulent or intentionally misleading information such as a false
address.
Q. Will medical, childcare arrangements or social reasons be considered?
A. Where a school is oversubscribed places are allocated according to the published
oversubscription criteria which may not take into account individual reasons.
Q. I live outside of Northumberland and want to apply for a Northumberland school
which form do I use?
A. You must apply to your home Local Authority. This is the Authority where you pay your
council tax. Your home Local Authority will pass your information to us securely using a
government approved secure computer system. We will treat your request in the same way
as applications from Northumberland residents. However, we will not offer you another
Northumberland school if we cannot offer you a place in one of your preferred school(s).
Q. What happens if I do not apply?
A. Your child will be allocated a place at your catchment area school if a vacancy exists, or
at the nearest appropriate school with a vacancy.
Q. What happens if I want to change my school preferences after the deadline?
A. You cannot change your preference(s) without a genuine reason i.e. you have moved
address. You should send us a copy of your council tax statement to confirm you are
residing at your new address.
Q. What happens if I want to change my preferences after ‘Offer Day?’
A. Parents can have a maximum of 4 preferences including schools in and outside
Northumberland. If you are not happy with the school you have been offered and want to
apply for a school that was not on your original application you must complete a new
application. Amended preferences will overwrite your initial application. Therefore if you wish
to retain any of your original preferences they must be included in your new application.
Q. How is the distance measured?
A. In a straight line from a single fixed central point of the home address (including flats) to
the central point of the school using the Local Land and Property Gazetteer and the
Council’s Geographical Information System (GIS/ONE).
Q. My child has a cousin attending the school I am applying for. Will this be
considered as a sibling link?
A. No a sibling link is an older brother or sister residing at the same address (including
adoptive siblings, half siblings, step siblings, and long term fostered children).
Q. My child already attends the school nursery, will I be automatically allocated a
place in Reception?
A. No, you still need to apply. Being in the nursery does not guarantee a place.
Dear Parents & Carers,
I hope this communication finds you well. It has been a very busy few weeks at Dr Thomlinson CofE Middle School.
First of all a huge thank you to all the pupils who helped out at our Dr Thomlinson Open Evening on September 27th. I really enjoyed the evening and I thought that, with the great help of all our students, the school was at its very best.
Lots of our children were showing their very best as our school sporting fixtures began in earnest. Well done to our U13 Netball team v Dukes Secondary School (Away). Our team lost 0 – 2 but they were always in the game and could be considered unlucky to leave with nothing to show for their hard work. Well done to Skye who was the player of the game.
0-2 was also the unlucky score for our U11 Girls Football v Whittingham (Home) who lost 0 – 2 on the evening of our open evening, September 27th. Player of the Game was Lara.
Monday September 30th saw our U11 Boys football play NCEA at home. Despite taking the lead three times with goals from Archie, Dr Thomlinson could not hold onto the lead for any length of time and the more experienced visitors showed admirable resilience to come out 3-6 winners.
Thursday 3rd October saw our Year 7 and 8 Boys Rugby team play at Kingston Park in a rugby festival. The team won v Norham; drew v Marden Bridge; lost v Duchess and Newminster Middle School. Our player of the competition was Thomas.
It takes resilience to run at long distances and 24 children competed from Years 5 and 6 on Tuesday 8th October at the Northumberland Schools Athletics Association Cross-Country Championships at Gateshead Stadium. Well done to George who qualified for the Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships.
Wednesday 9th October saw our U13 Boys football team play very well with a final result that did not do justice to our performance – Dr Thomlinson’s 1 Ponteland High 5. Our goal scorer was Luke with Man of the Match – Thomas.
October 14th saw our Boys U11 Football team play Cragside Primary School at home. Despite goals from Wilf and Cameron (Cameron’s goal being a speculative drive from outside the area), Cragside narrowly edged a very close game 2-4.
On Tuesday, 15th October our KS3 Girls Rugby team took part in a competition at Kingston Park, Newcastle. The team beat Duchess; drew with Blyth Academy and narrowly lost to Ponteland. The team were ably captained by Amelie with Cerys being the team’s stand out player during the afternoon.
Dr Thomlinson Boys U13 Football team were involved in a very close game on Wednesday, 16th October. With Isaac being outstanding in defence, our team fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat against Tweedmouth.
A more successful campaign was waged by our U1 Girl’s 7 a’side football team on Thursday 17th October. Victorious in their group beating NCEA; Newminster and Bothal, the Girl’s team progressed to the final of the competition via a penalty shoot-out victory in the sem-final. Our team couldn’t quite seize the trophy – losing 0-1 to Bede but everyone in the team played very well with Lara being our player of the tournament.
On the same day our Yr 5 and Yr 6 Mixed Tag Rugby teams participated in a tournament at Ponteland Rugby Club. Our Yr 5’s won their 2nd place play-off and our Yr 6’s – whilst not progressing from their group – did defeat Newminster. Well done to Luke in Yr 5 and Archie in Yr 6 for their notable performances.
Harvest Festival
Our final week of this half term sees our school celebrate Harvest on Wednesday, 23rd October. Our Harvest Festival starts at 2:45pm in the main hall with parents & carers very welcome to attend. Children are very welcome to donate canned food which will be collected and donated to the Alnwick Food Bank.
Wednesday 23rd October is The Friends of Dr T’s Movie Night
Children are invited to attend this exciting Movie Night. Children will stay after school to watch Toy Story 4 whilst enjoying a Hot Dog and snacks. Sweets are on sale for 50p per bag. If you wish to attend please return the reply slip by Tuesday, October 22nd.
Charity Fund Raising
Our two half term Charity Fundraising Events were our Macmillan Coffee Morning and our Give Racism The Red Card Non Uniform Day. We raised £355.23 and £176 respectively. Thanks for your generosity for these very worthy causes.
Curriculum Consultation Evening – November 6th 6pm
The school is amending the way it reports on Attitude to Learning. Parents & Carers are invited to attend a consultation meeting on the changes on November 6th at 6pm
Half Term
Please remember that school will close for half term on Friday, October 25th at 3:30pm. Monday, 4th November is a school inset day and school will reopen on Tuesday, November 5th.
Well done to the following Thomlinson Outstanding Pupil Award Winners
Week beginning – Sept 16th
5T – Emma
5H – Megan
6O – Sasha
6M – Lucy
7L – Daniel
7I – Eilidh
8N – Thomas
8S – Jasmine
Week beginning – Sept 23rd
5T – Will
5H – Wilf
6O – Ryan
6M – Dan & Heather
7L – Cerys
7I – William
8N – Logan
8S – Joe
Week beginning Sept 30th
5T – Nieve
5H – Esme
6O – Kai
6M – Elliott
7L – Molly
7I – Julia
8N – Skye
8S – Ben
Week beginning Oct 7th
5T – Fran
5H – Grace
6O – Demi
6M – Alexander
7L – Molly
7I – Taylor
8N – Amelie
8S – Thomas
Well done to Luke & Will who won our Mathemagician of the Week Awards
Take care,
Liam
Headteacher
