Pastoral pups support pupils' wellbeing at Bedales Prep
From moving away from the Common Entrance exam to exploring green and blue spaces on a whole school residential trip every Summer Term, pupils’ wellbeing is at the heart of school life at Bedales Prep, Dunhurst. Now, staff dogs – or ‘pastoral pups’, as they are affectionately known – are playing an important role in supporting pupils.
From Head of Dunhurst Colin Baty’s Goldendoodle, Bella, and Deputy Head (Pastoral) Graeme Thompson’s Cockerpoo, Ruby, to the boarding house’s resident Black Lab, Percy and Bryn (mixed), Dunhurst’s pastoral pups have become an integral part of school life and provide pupils with an array of cognitive, social, emotional, physical and environmental benefits. Pupils love to visit the dogs during the school day, whether to read to them, take them for a walk or simply sit and chat to a furry friend.
The benefits of school dogs have been well publicised: research shows that they can ease anxiety, increase motivation for learning and boost compassion, confidence and a sense of responsibility. As a dog friendly school, Dunhurst is different to schools which have limitations on the number of days pets can be brought into school, and pupils here have the opportunity to interact with the pastoral pups every day.
The school dogs aren’t the only animals to support pupils’ wellbeing at Dunhurst. As part of the Outdoor Work curriculum, pupils are actively involved in the care of the department’s chickens, ducks, guinea pigs and bees, and there are opportunities to help look after other livestock on the Bedales estate, including pigs, sheep, goats and ponies.
Outdoor Work is a core subject which incorporates nature and conservation, horticulture, animal husbandry, bushcraft and country crafts and enables pupils to develop an awareness, appreciation and knowledge of the natural environment in line with Bedales’ founder John Badley’s original aims, whilst developing self-confidence, passion, empathy and teamwork.
The benefits of pastoral dogs continue at Bedales Senior with Head of Wellbeing Kirsten McLintock’s Pomeranian, Rosie, who recently appeared on BBC Sunday Morning Live as part of a feature about dogs rescued from slaughterhouses overseas now living in the UK.
Dunhurst’s Head of Wellbeing Debbie Baty commented: “It is always a delight to see pupils visit our pups at breaktime for a walk and a play outside. You will often see children skipping along with a dog in tow with a very waggy tail! The pastoral pups play an important role at Dunhurst and are included in day-to-day life, whether pupils are sending a letter to one of the pups in our ‘Positive Post Box’ for Anti-Bullying Week or including them in their trusted five individuals when considering their support network in Wellbeing lessons.”
