27 September 2024
Dear Parents,
We are excited to announce that our new ‘staff member’, Murphy, has had his first day in school today.
He has been round to every class (in my arms) to be introduced to the children and has spent a lot of the day sleeping! The children have been so calm and welcoming. There were lots of ‘ahhs’ as we went from class to class.
I have every confidence that he is going to be such an asset to our school and the impact is already clear to see.
20 September 2024
Dear Parents,
I am very excited to share with you the news that we have made the decision to get a school dog.
Over the last few years I have worked very closely with Mrs Lees (Assistant head at Bournside) whose black Labrador is also Bournside’s school dog. We have discussed what it’s like having a school dog and the positive impact it brings to the school community. I always said that if Lottie had puppies, I’d love to have one as a family pet and train it to become a school therapy dog.
Fast forward 3 years…
Lottie gave birth to 7 puppies this summer. Lottie herself is a trained UK Therapy dog and the puppies from other litters that Finn, the puppy’s dad, has fathered, have gone into various therapy roles including: hearing dogs, dogs for veterans and guide dogs.
At the moment the sex of our school dog is undecided, but we are very fortunate that their temperament and their breeding is second to none.
Our school puppy will be joining us later this month and the children were told in our assembly this morning, where Lottie and Mrs Lees came along to help with the big announcement. The vibe around school has been hugely positive.
Lots of studies have shown that school dogs can have a very positive effect on a range of pupils, from helping pupils who are struggling with things in school, reducing anxiety, improving reading confidence (by being read to) and generally being a calming influence. Children can benefit educationally and emotionally, increase their understanding of responsibility and develop empathy and nurturing skills through contact with a dog.
However, three things to share with you now that are really important:
• The dog will be on a lead when in the corridors at school and the children will not be left unsupervised.
• No child, or adult, will need to come into contact with the dog unless they want to.
• The dog will have a completely separate area for toileting and this is not an area where our children are allowed.
I will follow up with a much more detailed letter regarding what having a school dog will look like, signposts to risk assessments and FAQs, but I wanted to get this information out to you today to align with other announcements been made elsewhere.
Warmest regards
Georgina Flooks
