At Grange Park Primary, our motto is "creating foundations for bright futures," and this extends to nurturing happy, confident individuals who build strong relationships. We believe that having a school dog can bring a wealth of positive benefits, enriching the educational experience and well-being of our pupils. Dogs are known for their calming influence and their ability to foster a positive atmosphere. Toffee will play a vital role in helping us uphold our values of respect, responsibility, and resilience, and truly support our children in creating their own bright futures by:

● Enhancing Well-being: Providing a source of comfort and companionship, which can help reduce anxiety and promote emotional well-being among pupils.                                                                                                                                                          ● Fostering Responsibility and Empathy: Teaching children about animal care, responsibility, and developing a deeper sense of empathy and respect for living creatures.
● Supporting Social and Emotional Development: Providing interactions that help children develop social skills, manage emotions, and build positive relationships.
● Encouraging Learning and Reading: Offering a non-judgmental listener, boosting confidence and engagement in reading and learning.

Many of you will already be familiar with the wonderful success of our therapy dog, Willow, who has been a fantastic listener for our children during reading sessions. It's from this positive experience that we've seen firsthand the incredible impact a dog can have in a school environment.

Toffee will typically be with us almost every school day. During the school day,  she will primarily be based in the Wellbeing Room, which is off the Year 3 corridor. When Toffee is walking around the school site, she will always be kept on a short lead and with an adult, and children will always be able to keep a distance from Toffee should they wish to do so.

By introducing the school dog to the school and the children at an early age, it is hoped that both the children and Toffee can become familiar with, and therefore comfortable with, one another. Our aim is for her to seamlessly integrate into our school community, bringing joy and a unique educational dimension. Toffee will always be kept on a lead when walking around the school, unless she is older and has learned sufficiently to be in a controlled group activity as outlined in the risk assessment.

Who will look after the dog when she’s not at school? Tijen Hassan, Headteacher will be responsible for taking Toffee home every day and looking after her during the holidays. When Tijen is away or needs to, other trusted members from the school community will look after her.

Is the dog from a reputable breeder? Yes, Toffee has been purchased from a licensed and reputable breeder. Tijen visited the puppies in their home with the mother. The school dog was specifically chosen for its temperament, ensuring it is friendly and confident. We are also pleased to share that Toffee is a half-sibling to the two highly successful school dogs at Fern House, another school within our Trust, sharing the same dad and breeder.

Why did you choose a Cavapoo breed? We believe a Cavapoo is a fantastic breed of dog for a school due to their wonderful temperament and hypoallergenic qualities. Cavapoos are typically very sweet-natured, intelligent, affectionate, and sociable. As a hypoallergenic breed, Cavapoos shed less hair and don't drool as much as other breeds. While no dog can be 100% non-allergenic, this makes her less likely to cause problems for allergy sufferers, as allergies are triggered by proteins in saliva and urine spread through shed hair. Toffee will also be regularly groomed to help manage this further.

What about her training and health? Toffee will receive training and then special therapy dog training when she is a bit older.  Her vaccinations will be kept up-to-date and she will receive regular worm and flea treatments to ensure she is healthy and safe for everyone.

How will the dog be toileted to ensure hygiene for all? There will be a designated area of the school grounds that is kept only for use by Toffee for toileting purposes. The staff in charge of the dog will ensure this area is cleaned appropriately and regularly. 

Which children will the dog work with? Toffee will work with children in scheduled sessions to support reading, confidence, and emotional regulation. Toffee will visit children around the school site, but will always be kept on a short lead. From time to time, there may be group sessions that will take place where Toffee will be allowed off-lead in a controlled setting. Generally children will not need to approach the dog should they wish to do so. Children will not need to work with the dog, should they not wish to. The school is on a very big site with plenty of space to enable this to happen.

Will the dog be a distraction? During the school day, Toffee will primarily be based in the Wellbeing Room. The wellbeing team will take care of her in school and will organise her schedule. When going to see children, the wellbeing team will always be present, and interactions will only occur if children want to participate. As the dog gets bigger, she will be gradually introduced to other parts of the school, such as classrooms and playgrounds, under strict supervision. We will be careful to ensure that time spent with the school dog is shared amongst the children as fairly as possible.

Are any other dogs allowed at school? We know how important dogs are to many families. However, we must strongly reinforce our existing policy and risk assessment: other dogs are strictly not allowed on the school site, either inside the building or on the school grounds. This is typically the rule in other schools as well. This includes during events like Summer Fayres, Christmas Fayres, Sports Days, and during drop-off and pick-up times. We understand this can be disappointing, but this policy is in place for the safety and comfort of our entire school community.  The only exceptions are registered service dogs or therapy dogs we are specifically working with; our school dog is different, with a specific risk assessment and carefully controlled interactions. If you bring a dog to school during drop-off or pick-up, it must always be kept on a lead and attended to outside the school gates, and please do not tie your pet to the school gate and leave it unattended.

My child is allergic to dogs. How will you manage this? Please email the school office at office@grangeparkprimary.org to let us know if your child has an allergy to dogs as soon as possible. We will contact you and work with you to ensure that we manage this closely. As mentioned above, we have chosen the dog breed carefully to ensure that it is as suitable for allergies as possible.

My child has a fear of dogs. How will you manage this? Please email the school office at office@grangeparkprimary.org to let us know if your child has a fear of dogs. We will contact you and work with you to ensure they feel safe and comfortable. We will never force interaction, and we will work sensitively with your child. There will be a very gentle approach to introducing the dog to the children.

Has a risk assessment been made? Yes. We have carefully considered having a dog in school and sought advice from many sources, including other schools that have successfully welcomed a dog within their community. Please see the Risk Assessment below for any additional queries.