Our Pets

Why have animals in nursery?

Studies have shown that the presence of companion animals can improve the well-being of children and lower the rate of anxiety, simply by making the environment happier, more enjoyable and less forbidding. The value of pet ‘therapy’ is widely accepted as a powerful aid to stimulation and communication.

All animals within the nursery are regularly held and have interactions with the children. This gives our children a sense of responsibility and eliminates any fears children may have.

Bobby

Many of you may have already met Bobby, our official nursery dog, who is a huge hit with the children.

Bobby’s breed is particularly known for having a calm gentle temperament, be deemed to be ‘hypoallergenic’ and be particularly good with children.

Bobby is accustomed to excessive attention and handling of small children and enjoys visiting children in their rooms, playing with them in the garden and going on walks with Pre-school and School’s Out.

The rationale behind the decision to have a dog within the nursery is so that the children can interact with a dog and therefore it be of benefit to their social and emotional development.

Our chickens

We have our own flock of chickens who live in Forest School in a large run. Some of our younger birds were hatched at nursery and named by the children who pulled names from a hat. We encourage the children to play an active part in the care of the chickens, learning how to clean them out, feed them, make sure they have clean water and the best part… collecting the eggs!

During our Forest School sessions we enjoy letting the chickens out for a scratch and to eat some bugs, and if we’re lucky we get to stroke them gently.