Dear Parents and Carers

We have some very exciting news to share with you about a new member of our Wellbeing Team, Buddy the School Dog! Buddy, a Golden Labrador puppy, lives with Mrs Fleming and will be spending some time in school each week.  Buddy particularly enjoys spending time outside; playing with his toys; eating lots of food (including flowers in the garden!); and napping. He is a very friendly and playful puppy and is learning lots of commands and instructions very quickly.

As you will expect, the safety of our pupils remains paramount and stringent risk assessments have been carried out in order for Buddy to come into school. Along with this, Buddy will have his own cage and food/water bowls in the Wellbeing Office. The office will be secured by a small gate to ensure that he will not be able to leave the office unless accompanied by a member of staff. Buddy will be supervised by an adult at all times.

This is a fantastic opportunity for our school community and we believe that Buddy will be an amazing addition to Beanfield. There are multiple benefits for having a school dog, and some of these are:

• A shared interest for members of the school community, in-turn developing positive relationships and communication around school.
• A greater willingness for pupils to learn and participate during school activities.
• Developing a stronger sense of responsibility and enhanced social interactions.
• An increased sense of comfort and security for some pupils, particularly when accessing the school dog for therapy sessions.
• Increased knowledge of dogs and how to behave safely and appropriately around them.
• Gaining a better understanding of how to take responsibility for another living being, consequently developing a greater awareness of a pupil’s individual responsibilities.
• Supporting pupils to achieve personal goals.
• Improvements in the way pupils interact with others which can be extended into the home environment.

Whilst sharing these benefits with you, we do understand that for some pupils, interacting with Buddy may be particularly overwhelming.  Due to the on-going situation regarding COVID-19 Buddy will be spending time in the Wellbeing Office only, there will be no interaction with children at present.  Buddy will simply be getting used to his surroundings.  Should you wish in the future for your child not to have any interaction or have any concerns about Buddy please email admin@beanfieldprimary.org

We look forward to watching Buddy grow and develop during his life with us at Beanfield.

Kind Regards

The Wellbeing Team