We are very proud to have this special member of our team – Lenny our school dog. Three year old Lenny is the family dog of our Headteacher, Mrs Tillett, and has been in schools since he was a puppy. He can often be seen on the school gates in the morning, welcoming children into school. Lenny is a Cockerdor, his mum is a Cocker Spaniel, and his dad is a Labrador.

In October 2021, we were pleased to announce Lenny passed his assessments to be part of The Dog Mentor Programme. The Dog Mentor programme has built upon the benefits of the human-animal bond by providing children positive experiences with dogs that can help them educationally, developmentally, emotionally, and socially. Over the last nine years The Dog Mentor programme has been proven to have a positive impact on children in all areas including self-esteem, behaviour, peer relationships and better engagement skills. These improvements then result in improved academic achievement.

The Dog Mentor Programme has brought a positive influence into the school environment and Lenny has helped provide emotional and behavioural support to our children. Full training was given to both Lenny and the staff that will work with him directly to ensure that the welfare of everyone involved is maintained as a top priority. Staff members who received the training are Mrs Hind (Family Support Manager), Mrs Nutley (Learning Mentor), and Mrs Tillett (Headteacher).

Please feel free to visit The Dog Mentor’s website and Facebook page for more details and to see how other schools that have introduced their dogs into school:

• www.facebook.com/thedogmentor  
• www.thedogmentor.co.uk

Further information about Lenny and The Dog Mentor Programme can be found below...