We would love to introduce you to our school reading and wellbeing dog named Willow. Willow works with KS1 children and Mrs Lawson, listening to children read. She also often likes to join Mrs Crosby to celebrate Awesome Orston on a Friday! She is sometimes very cheeky and can be seen sat on Mrs Crosby's chair at her desk!!

She is a cockapoo and this breed is well known for its gentle temperament and its hypo-allergenic coat.

In recent years, many programmes have been set up to bring dogs into classrooms to assist children in becoming confident and happy readers and to help with children's wellbeing.  Reading with dogs helps children to develop reading skills, encourages positive behaviour and helps build confidence and self-esteem.  Reading with Dogs inspires children to have fun and enjoy the experience of reading.  It also has emotional health benefits for both adults and children. They can provide positive impacts by offering stress relief, boosting mood, increasing social interaction and enhancing creativity. Awareness of the benefits that such programmes bring to schools has grown amongst educators and the dog loving public recently. 

We are so thrilled that Willow is part of our school community and we hope you love her as much as we all do.