Our School Dog Benji

Our School Dog Benji

At Queensgate Foundation Primary School, our friendly therapy dog Benji plays a special role in supporting pupils’ wellbeing. Throughout the school day, Benji offers comfort, encouragement, and companionship—helping create a calm and positive environment for all.

We decided to get a school dog to help with post Covid schooling. There are many benefits to having a school dog:

• Cognitive – companionship with a dog stimulates memory, problem-solving and game playing.
• Social – a dog provides a positive mutual topic for discussion amongst children, encourages responsibility, wellbeing and focused interaction with others.
• Emotional – a school dog improves self-esteem, acceptance from others and lifts moods, often provoking laughter and fun. Dogs can teach compassion and respect for other living things as well as relieving anxiety.
• Physical – interaction with a dog reduces blood pressure, provides tactile stimulation, gives motivation to move, walk and stimulate the senses.
• Community – a dog in school increases the sense of a family environment, with all of the above benefits continuing long after the school day is over.
• Motivational – spending time with a school dog (whether stroking, walking or reading to it) gives children the motivation to stay focused and on task.

If you have any individual questions or queries, please do not hesitate to speak to Miss Radcliffe at [email protected] or [email protected]