Mrs Sally Lees

Assistant Head and Designated Safeguarding Lead

About yourself

I am currently Assistant Head and Designated Safeguarding Lead at Cheltenham Bournside School, one of the largest Academies (ages 11–18) in Gloucestershire. In my early years of teaching, I taught Music and Drama progressing to Head of Expressive Arts. Promotion has resulted in my career taking a different course, as I have assumed responsibility for Safeguarding and Mental Health. This has provided an opportunity for me to trial the use of dogs in an educational environment to enrich and support children with additional learning needs or who need emotional support. My passion for dogs started in my childhood having had dogs as pets but in the past decade through personally realising the comfort, companionship and unconditional support they can provide, I have been driven to now enable the children and staff I work with to gain from these benefits too. Crucially though the welfare of any dog is so important and for me it is at the heart of everything I do with my two dogs, both in and out of school. Currently, I am the proud ’mum’ of two black labradors, Lottie and her daughter Olive. Lottie and I have passed the assessments required for her to become a qualified Therapy Dog with TDT UK in 2024 and we are now starting this journey with Olive.

About your dogs

Lottie

Lottie is a key member of our pastoral and culture team in the school. She is on-site daily, and works with students on an individual basis, as well as spending time with as many students as possible during social times. Lottie loves attention and cuddles and her presence at school never fails to put a smile on the faces of everyone who meets her throughout the day. I believe that animals can have a significant positive impact on mental health and wellbeing, and Lottie is brilliant at helping us all to be present in the moment. Training though is key and from day one in the summer of 2021 I knew it was going to be about consistency, both at home and in school if we were going to be successful. Lottie was joining our family at 8 weeks old and would start to come to school immediately (in a very carefully managed way). I always had in my mind what the end goal was for Lottie. To be a qualified Therapy Dog working in school. It was tough at times at home when my son just wanted to ‘play’ with our new puppy, but it was important that we did not blur the lines for her. She now knows the difference between home and school and wearing her jacket gives her the cue that it is time for work. Lottie and I started puppy training classes, and we enrolled on the Kennel Club Good Citizen’s Award. We completed the four stages over the coming year, from Puppy Foundation to the Gold Award. This was crucial to embed all the good habits that are required when working in a school. As in any occupation, it is important to keep improving your skills and never thinking there is nothing else to learn. This is just the same for Lottie and I through this journey. In March 2024 we started our continued professional development with Therapy Dogs Training UK. This involved a combination of online learning and a live training and assessment weekend.

• Lottie passed her Visiting Therapy Dog Certificate to become a certified therapy dog by completing;
• A ‘Ready’ result for her TDT UK Temperament Assessment
• A ‘Ready’ result for her TDT UK Visiting Therapy Dog Certificate (Dog Training Award)

I then completed, as her handler: Therapy Dog Workshops 1&2 (60 Guided Learning Hours) I found this training, both online and as a ‘live’ weekend training and assessment opportunity invaluable. The minimum standard for a dog to commence this training was the Silver Award with the Kennel Club and she had to be over 18 months old. The work we had completed so early on set us in good stead for this training. This training highlighted many important approaches that I have now embedded within our provision at school, to ensure that we are the best we can be, whilst always keeping Lottie’s welfare at the heart of everything we do. I have further developed the risk assessment and created a ‘memorandum of understanding’ that outlines Lottie’s role, and how the school and I work to support this. This is so important in an area of work that is not formally regulated in this country. I am so proud that she qualified as a Therapy Dog, a month before her 3rd birthday.

Olive

Olive is now 13 months old and is Lottie’s daughter. Just like her mum, she joined us in school at the age of 8 weeks old, in a carefully managed manner, with her wellbeing at the heart of all we do. When planning Lottie’s litter, the entire process of searching for a sire was based around temperament. Lottie has been so successful in her role at school, and we wanted to match her with a sire who would produce puppies with a calm, steady manner. The sire we used already has puppies who are successful graduates with Guide Dogs, Veterans with Dogs and Hearing Dogs. Whilst nothing is guaranteed in life, this was the best possible match to hopefully produce calm, well-adjusted puppies. During the initial 8 weeks of their lives everything that happened was based around ensuring they were comfortable with human interaction and had the opportunity to develop as calm, unfazed puppies. They were gently introduced to different sounds, sights, textures and environments as they developed. Olive has adjusted to the school environment because we have ensured everything has been thought through to ensure she has a calm, supportive environment in which to feel secure and thrive. The school community were briefed before her arrival of how they must act around her. The pupils, staff and parents have been so supportive towards this. She has two main bases where she can have quiet time, and this can be of her choosing. She, like Lottie can also opt out if they wish from interacting with a person. There are designated places where they can exercise and toilet in line with our comprehensive risk assessment. She loves a bit of Classic FM and a chance to snooze in her bed in my office. She attends meetings sometimes with me after school with other staff and snores very loudly from her bed! She is a content young dog who is being allowed to grow and develop is a safe and calm environment, even though it is a school of over 2000 people. She completed her puppy programme training and is working her way through the required training to follow in the pawprints of her mum and successfully complete the therapy dog training assessments with Therapy Dog Training UK.

Positive impact

Studies have shown that school dogs can have a positive effect on students, from helping students who are struggling with things in school, reducing anxiety, improving reading confidence (by being read to), and being a calming influence. Children can benefit educationally and emotionally, increase their understanding of responsibility, and develop empathy and nurturing skills through contact with a dog. Children also tend to take great enjoyment from interaction with a dog. Positive effects of having Lottie onsite include:

• • Learning, including reading and literacy
  • Knowledge and understanding of animals
  • Reducing stress
  • Love and support for groups of students
  • Developing self-esteem and interest, especially for some of our most vulnerable groups
  • Anger management
  • Coping with bereavement
  • Developing responsibility
  • A feel and sense of community
  • Some curriculum involvement

About your school

Cheltenham Bournside School is an 11–18 Academy and the largest in Gloucestershire. Whilst it is a very large school, the size brings undoubted strength, through resource, provision and opportunities. In addition, the sense of community is so strong. Despite our size, our highly developed pastoral support means no one gets lost in the crowd. Lottie and Olive are part of our large and highly trained Culture Team. Ofsted in 2022 confirmed that as a school we “put the welfare of pupils, as well as academic achievement, at the heart of everything we do”, that “pupils enjoy school” and that there is a “strong sense of community for both staff and pupils”.

Why did you decide to get a school dog and how did you go about this?

In 2018, I was lucky enough to have a Labrador, Molly, who had such a gentle and sweet nature. She was eight years old, and I decided to have her temperament assessed by Pets as Therapy. I was aware of the impact that dogs can have with people, and I wanted to do some volunteering in my spare time. She passed the assessment. Frustratingly, I could see the potential of taking Molly into my own school, yet the headteacher at the time was not convinced. As we know, using dogs in educational settings is something, in this country, that is growing in terms of understanding their impact on children and adults alike. In September 2020, we had made our way through the first lockdowns of the pandemic, and we were returning to school, but not as we knew it. The educational demands of managing the spread of covid meant we started the academic year in year group bubbles, amongst other very tight restrictions on our day to day lives. Our school also welcomed a new Headteacher. This was the turning point for our therapy dog journey, as he understood the potential of having a school dog. Molly joined our school very quickly that term, once we have ensured we had planned effectively for her arrival. The key things we needed to put in place were;

• Risk assessment
• Informing all parents/carers
• Informing the pupils and setting out the expectations of having a dog in school
• Bringing Molly in, out of hours, so she could get used to school
• Setting up her base in my office and the learning area where I work
• Both bases had an identical bed, water bowl, toys etc.

Molly had an instant impact of both pupils and staff in school, especially in our Welfare Hub. Children were utterly respectful of her, and she just seemed to make everyone smile. Sadly, I knew we would not have long with Molly as she was now 12 years old. So, the decision was to get a puppy. To have them both together so that Lottie, as she was named, got used to school from her first day with our family, but with the support of her big sister! Sadly, Molly passed away in January 2022, having reached the grand age of 13 years and 8 months. We remember Molly fondly, and we were proud to see her contribution to the school recognised in the local press.

What are your current achievements (what works well)?

• • Lottie is always walking with me around the school campus in the mornings to greet the children. Olive has started to join her on these walks. This is a great way to start the day, greet pupils and support any that need that little bit of support coming through the school gates.
  • Lottie can help pupils to settle when they are feeling dysregulated. Either a member of my team or I will take her for a walk with the pupil, or they will just sit with her for a cuddle.
  • We do regular 1:1 walks as part of our welfare support. We have created a wellbeing route around the campus field and placed park benches along the way so they we can walk and talk or just sit and take in the fresh air and be away from the hustle and bustle of school.
  • Lottie is helpful at supporting pupils when they may be feeling completely overwhelmed and don’t want to get out of the car and come in to school. She often walks out to cars and helps to give them the courage to leave their parents and come to the Welfare Hub.
  • Lottie meets visitors when they visit school – she always supports the visiting NHS staff with the vaccinations.
  • Lottie’s social media presence is important. It is written in her voice. The focus has always been on promoting healthy lifestyles. It shares an insight into daily school life, and it is a subtle way of drip feeding those wellbeing habits that often a pupil will ignore if an adult suggests it!
  • Lottie greets the pupils when they are lining up for exams. She gives lots of cuddles to help keep everyone calm. It is amazing how many pupils need this as their ’Lucky Lottie cuddle’ and it becomes their routine before each exam. For many it is just having her there and it’s great seeing their smiles in response to her. It creates a sense of calm.
  • Lottie has sat with pupils who have Tics and Tourette’s prior to an exam to help calm their tics and settle them ready for the exam.
  • Lottie goes on school trips. The bus company allows her to sit on the coach, where she is strapped in safely. She loves the Year 7 welcome walks too, where we use the chance to mimic a mini DofE expedition in the surrounding countryside as a friendship and confidence building day.
  • Lottie can often help to support upset parents and carers when they are upset and in need of compassion through difficult circumstances.
  • Lottie accompanies me to all year 6 transition visits. She helps to make the move between primary and secondary school less stressful, and she is there at the gate to welcome our new pupils.

    

    

    

    Our school dogs inspired a business in 2022!

    Cheltenham Bournside School’s Sixth Form Young Enterprise Team, B-WELL were the creators of the inspirational children’s book ‘Molly and Lottie’s Forest Adventures’. They celebrated winning ‘Best Company’ in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire in the Young Enterprise County Competition. Bringing home the trophy for the first time, the entrepreneurial student team beat off competition from a wide range of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire state and independent schools and went on to be awarded the business sustainability award in the Regional Southwest Final. Their product, a book aimed at children aged 2–8, was written, illustrated and published by the students and is a story about Cheltenham Bournside School’s two black Labrador retrievers at the time; Molly a qualified PAT dog, and her little sister Lottie, a puppy in training. The cover read; “Our school dogs inspire us, and we hope they inspire you too. The message of our story is to be less judgemental and more loving and accepting, just like Molly and Lottie. Our moral is to always be kind and help others.” Managing Director of the student team said; “We were proud to hear our book described as ‘inspiring’ and that our message was clear – to ask people for help, to step out of your comfort zone and to be brave in communicating after being confined during lockdown. For the first time, Cheltenham Bournside School has made history and won best in the county! We are both immensely proud and extremely grateful to have won. Life after lockdown has shown us three things; learning is important, reading is important, and the two together are key for positive mental health and belonging – that is what underpins our book. The book was completed in memory of Molly, our much loved first school dog, who sadly passed away during the book’s creation.” Our book is now shared with all new staff who join our school. Sixth form pupils continue to visit local primary schools to read to pupils in years 1 & 2, often accompanied by the star of the book, Lottie.

    Things that I think are important to mention

    • You must have the full support of your Headteacher and the school Governors.
    • The needs and welfare of the dog must always be paramount.
    • We work with Therapy Dogs Training UK. Lottie and I completed the live training and assessment weekend, and she passed her temperament assessment.
    • Olive is training through an initial combination of general puppy classes, using the resources from Therapy Dog Training UK and being supported by one of their trusted trainers. She will then complete the TDT UK training and have a temperament assessment at around 18 months of age.
    • The TDT UK assessment also expects you, as the handler, to complete written assessments.
    • The staff, pupils and parents are very supportive of Lottie and Olive – they all love them, and they are part of the team.
    • I have general pet insurance for the girls through Agria, as they specifically mention that they cover working therapy dogs.
    • The school pays for public liability insurance for me, Lottie and Olive.
    • The girls have two main bases where they can rest and have quiet time. They have matching beds, bowls etc. in both so that they are familiar with the space. One is my office and the second is in the team office of our Welfare Hub. They have choice about when they want to take a rest.
    • When we have special events on, I judge how and if the girls are involved. Currently, it will mainly be Lottie as Olive is still a young puppy. I am always very careful not to overwhelm her or frighten her. As she develops, it is critical that I am always thinking ahead and analysing every scenario!

    What do you hope to do next? (future aspirations)

    Sally, Lottie and Olive As Olive continues with her training, we are finding it important to ensure the girls have time apart. This way, Olive is not going to be dependent on her mum. One of my team is now completing her training and assessment through the Kennel Club Good Citizen Award. This will enable her to work more independently with Lottie on 1:1 welfare walks. As we are a large Academy, I want to start exploring the different ways both Olive and Lottie can support pupils across the school without them becoming too overwhelmed. I am interested in researching the support we can give through the Reading Dogs provision. I have now started my formal training with the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers. I have completed the 2-day ‘Career as a Dog Trainer’ course and the Canine Adolescence training. They covered the following topics:
    • the science of how dogs learn
    • exploring body language
    • group class planning & dynamics
    • principles of canine behaviour
    • building a one-to-one consultation
    • behaviour modification & rehabilitation
    • the development of the canine brain
    • adolescence

    What are your thoughts on the contribution the NSDA can make to schools?

    The National School Dog Alliance is going to be crucial in helping and supporting educational settings. Unlike other animal assisted interventions, there is no formal training, support or regulation for dogs in schools. Educational professionals, like me, were previously having to go it alone, if they wanted to explore implementing this in schools. Thankfully, the NDSA is now pulling together the support and guidance helping to structure the implementation and day-to-day experiences of dogs in school so that not only can pupils and teachers benefit, but most importantly, the welfare of the dogs is kept at the forefront of everything we do.

    A short bullet point summary of your key points or main messages

    • Put the dog’s needs first
    • Put the time in to teach the children and staff how to behave around the dog
    • Ensure you have a team wrapped around the project who will provide you and your dog with the daily support that you will need, and they are passionate about the dog’s wellbeing too

    Follow Lottie’s Lead

    You can keep up to date with Lottie’s school journey on social media: Facebook: bournsideschooldog Instagram: bournsideschooldog

    

    

    Photos of the girls welcoming parents in our main reception on our open evening, September 2025.