Children may attend Breakfast Club from 8:00 a.m. The cost is £3 per session.

Breakfast is available for an additional £1. Children can choose from toast or a selection of cereals, with a drink of squash.

The compulsory school day begins at 8:45 a.m., when the school opens and learning starts.

Arrival, Registration and Lateness

The compulsory school day begins at 8:45 a.m., when learning starts. Pupils are expected to arrive on time and be ready to learn.

The morning register is taken in classrooms at 8:45 a.m. Pupils arriving after 8:45 a.m. are late.

Classroom registration is completed by 9:00 a.m. Pupils arriving after this time must report to the school office so that their arrival can be recorded accurately and they can be accounted for in an emergency.

The school’s official morning register closes at 9:15 a.m. A pupil who arrives:

• after 8:45 a.m. but before 9:15 a.m. will be recorded as late before the register closes (Code L); or
• after 9:15 a.m. will be recorded as absent for the morning session (Code U – late after the register has closed), unless another appropriate attendance code applies.

Code U is an unauthorised absence. These sessions count towards the national threshold of 10 unauthorised sessions within a rolling period of 10 school weeks when considering a penalty notice. Reaching this threshold does not automatically result in a penalty notice; the pupil’s individual circumstances, support already provided and appropriate next steps will be considered.

The school monitors punctuality and will work with pupils and their families to understand and address any barriers to arriving on time. Where lateness persists, further support or action may be taken in accordance with the school’s Attendance Policy.

Daily Timetable

• 8:00 a.m. – Breakfast Club opens
• 8:45 a.m. – Compulsory school day and learning begin
• 9:00 a.m. – Assembly
• 9:15 a.m. – Morning lessons begin
• 10:15–10:30 a.m. – Morning break
• 12:00–1:00 p.m. – Lunchtime
• 1:00 p.m. – Afternoon lessons begin
• 2:15–2:30 p.m. – Afternoon break 
• 3:30 p.m. – Compulsory school day ends
• 5:00 p.m. – After School Club closes

Assemblies have different themes throughout the week and may also mark significant events or occasions.

The compulsory school day runs from 8:45 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. This amounts to 33 hours and 45 minutes each week.

After-School Club

Our Stop and Play after-school club is available from the end of the school day until 5:00 p.m. The cost is £5 per session from 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. or £7.50 per session from 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Attendance and Absence

Regular attendance is essential to a child’s education, wellbeing and relationships. Persistent absence can affect academic progress and make it more difficult for children to maintain friendships and feel fully involved in school life.

Thwaites School is committed to working in partnership with pupils and families to promote regular and punctual attendance and address any barriers that may prevent a child from attending school.

If a child is unable to attend because of illness or another unavoidable reason, parents and carers must contact the school on the first morning of absence by telephone or email. The school should be updated on each subsequent day of absence unless another arrangement has been agreed.

Telephone: 01229 772554
Email: admin@thwaites.cumbria.sch.uk

If a child needs prescribed medication when they return to school, a medication form must be completed. Forms are available from the school office.

Medical Appointments

Where possible, routine medical and dental appointments should be arranged outside school hours.

Children who need to leave school for an appointment must be signed out through the school office and signed back in if they return later that day. Parents and carers may be asked to provide evidence of the appointment where this is available.