Meet Charlie the school dog helping children with their reading

In November 2019, Charlie, now seven, was found and handed into the care of Greyhound Rescue North East. He had a badly broken back leg and a missing toe and is believed to have been abandoned by his owners after his racing career came to an end.

Fortunately for Charlie, the School Council at New Seaham Academy were looking for a school dog and headteacher Bernadette Dolan was able to “give Charlie his life back” as he became a “valued member of the team” at the school.

After passing his dog training course, Charlie started working at the school and for the last three years has been carrying out his daily duties as a reading buddy as well as helping children to settle into their lessons.

Mrs Dolan said: “Charlie has such a fantastic nature and is a real calming influence. If children come into assemblies and Charlie is there I point out to the children how he is lying on the floor and the need to be quiet so as not to unsettle him.

"He provides a real focus to help settle the children.

"In particular he can have a real calming influence on the reception children who can sometimes be initially reluctant on those first few days away from home. I take Charlie to the front of the school and ask them to help me walk him in.

"They will often pat Charlie and seeing him really seems to make them relaxed. It’s the same with any child who is upset. I’ll ask them to come and stroke Charlie and feeling his soft fur will often calm them down and take their mind off why they were upset.”

One pupil to benefit from Charlie’s calming influence is Year 4 pupil Rose Patterson.

Rose, eight, said: “I came into school one morning feeling really upset and anxious. Mrs Dolan brought Charlie over and as soon as I saw him I started stroking him and felt much happier.”

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Sporting his school dog coat and reading buddy badge, Charlie is also invited into lessons across the whole school where children can enjoy reading to him in each classroom’s reading corner.

Thea Corner, nine, said: “I can sometimes be a bit nervous reading to the whole class in case I make a mistake. But I feel really calm reading to Charlie. It’s just me and him and it makes me feel relaxed.”

Eli McCaffrey, seven, added: “I really enjoy reading to Charlie in class as I like how he reacts to my reading. I like having a school dog as I don’t know any other schools which have one.”

Having Charlie onsite also plays a key role in helping the children to develop an understanding of the responsibilities involved in looking after a dog, with the school having also received the Pet Wise School Award from the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals.

Mrs Dolan said: “Many of our children have dogs and this is all part of their personal development about how to look after a dog and how you should behave around them.”