Stowmarket: Therapy dog hailed as primary school's 'secret weapon'

Initially Mrs Bailey wanted to bring Darcy in three days a week, however she said Darcy would skulk at the prospect of being left at home

A therapy dog helping children feel calmer in the classroom has been hailed as a "secret weapon" by a head teacher.

Darcy, a two-year-old sprocker spaniel, has been working full time at Abbotts Hall Primary School in Stowmarket for the past 12 months.

Teachers have found the dog helpful in making children feel more happy and safe when coming to school.

Head teacher Rachel Bailey said: "Children, staff, parents, the whole community, love having her here."

The "new member of staff" was originally Mrs Bailey's pet, but after training Darcy and seeing how responsive she was to learning, she came up with the idea of having a school dog.

"She is our secret weapon, actually we wonder how on earth we managed here before Darcy came," she said.

Children at Abbotts Hall Primary School get to have cuddles with Darcy and has made them look forward to coming into school

Darcy began working at the primary school as a therapy dog after she was certified and assessed by a clinical animal behaviourist.

Mrs Bailey found children, parents and staff had all welcomed the idea of four-legged support.

She said: "I've got people wanting to enrol their children next year and coming into reception... because we are the school with the full-time dog and the parents are really embracing that."

Miss Austin has found Darcy to be extra support in the classroom if tactics are not working, or if children are finding something particularly difficult

Miss Austin, a foundation stage teaching assistant at the school, said Darcy had been "the most amazing influence".

"She's often on gate duty welcoming them [the children] as they come in everyday, calming them down, just giving them that friendly furry face when they come in for a new school day," she said.

She described visits from Darcy as her "daily dose of serotonin".

She added: "I think animal therapy for children is such a huge thing that needs to be looked into more, because of the impact they have in terms of offering that calm, that break away.

"It's just incredible what she can do".

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