Reigate St Mary’s children were delighted to welcome Pets as Therapy dog Luna the cocker spaniel in to school recently to read to her as part of Children's Mental Health Week.

Reigate St Mary’s children in Year 1 were delighted to welcome Luna the cocker spaniel in to school recently. Luna has been trained by the Pets as Therapy organisation to support children. The RSM pupils had the opportunity to read to Luna in the school library.

Research has shown that reading to dogs has been proven to help children develop literacy skills and build confidence through both the calming effect the dog’s presence has on children, as well as the fact that a dog will listen to children read without being judgemental or critical.

As part of Children’s Mental Health Week, this comforting environment helps to nurture children’s enthusiasm for reading as a way to relax and provides them with the confidence to read aloud; and the children exhibited this.

The children loved interacting with Luna who enjoyed hearing them read their stories aloud. She was a wonderful guest!

RSM Headmaster, Marcus Culverwell said ‘At RSM we place tremendous importance on our children's wellbeing as it is so important for their future success and happiness. Luna was a brilliant guest and her visit was a fun way to teach the children strategies to develop literacy skills and build confidence’.