Our Dog Mentors!

We are delighted to introduce Otis and Bodie, our school dog mentors!

Otis is a cavapoo that resides with Mrs Gleadhill, our Headteacher, who brings him to school a few times a week. Bodie is a cockapoo that resides with Mr Newton, our Year 4 teacher and lower KS2 lead, who also brings him to school a few times a week.

They greet children upon arrival to school, go into classrooms, participate in the children’s learning and they have stories read to them. They also spend time with a number of individual children during targeted intervention sessions. Whenever they take a break from their interesting and ever-changing job, they has a rest in the office.

Otis and Bodie joined the Dog Mentor programme in April 2025 and have since completed their training and passed the Dog Mentor Programme assessment. 

With this programme, we aim to enhance the universal support provision in our school environment, not only for social, emotional and mental health well-being, but also to cover all aspects of curriculum-based education to improve educational outcomes. As mental health and well-being is one of our curriculum drivers, we believe Otis and Bodie will complement our curriculum offer well. 

Numerous research studies have shown the benefits of dogs in schools and evidence indicates that areas of potential benefit include:

• Cognitive development: companionship with a dog stimulates memory, problem-solving, game-playing and can improve reading skills
• Emotional development: a school dog improves self-esteem, acceptance from others and lifts mood, often provoking laughter and fun. Dogs can also teach compassion and respect for other living things as well as relieving anxiety
• Physical development: interaction with a pet reduces blood pressure, provides tactile stimulation, assists with pain management, gives motivation to move and walk, and stimulates the senses
• Environmental benefits: a dog in a school contributes towards the creation of a home-style environment, with all of the above benefits continuing long after the school day is over
• Social benefits: a dog provides a positive mutual topic for discussion, encourages responsibility, wellbeing, developing social skills and focused interaction with others.

The Dog Mentor programme has also been proven to have a positive impact on children in areas including behaviour, peer relationships and better engagement skills, which in turn result in improved academic achievement.

Full training has been given to Mrs Gleadhill, Mr Newton, Miss Kitchen and Mr Young, who are Otis and Bodie's handlers, and they ensure that the welfare of everyone involved is maintained as a top priority.