A school in Croxley Green has turned to animals for a sense of comfort for their pupils.
At York House School mental health and wellbeing continues to be a top priority and pupils have been spending some time with the school’s resident animals to help them switch off.
The school has adapted the timetable to offer extra sessions during form time to allow more classes to engage with the animals on a daily basis.
Pupils who need to share their feelings and emotions further, are given extra sessions named ‘Donkey Downtime’.
This is a structured forum in which pupils can share, reflect and discuss matters during their day at school.
Jon Gray, headmaster at York House School said the animals are important in promoting positive thinking and encouraging children to talk about their feelings.
He said: “Our animals have become valuable companions for many of our pupils. They get the chance to talk to the animals about their day and to share their emotions and thoughts without fear of judgement, to some of the best listeners around.”
Tara Warren, smallholding leader at York House School, who works with the children and cares for the animals on site added: “During a recent session, one pupil noticed that one of the pygmy goats was not feeling himself, she made it clear that he did not want to go on a walk with the other goats and instead offered to stay with him in the shelter to make sure he was ok.
“The child showed kindness and patience and an understanding about individual feelings.”
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