School dogs helping pupils with their learning at Hereford SEND school
Pathways Schools officially opened in September 2025 and has two dogs involved in their day-to-day running on the site
An independent specialised school in Hereford has been highlighting how an animal duo has been playing a vital role in helping students access education.
Pathways Schools officially opened its doors in September last year at Impact House in Rotherwas and is dedicated to supporting children and young people aged eight to 18 with social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) needs.
On the site is two 'school dogs', cocker labrador golden retriever Squirrel who is a female and nine-years-old this summer, and five-year-old male Woods who is currently known as a chocolate labrador, with the students running a DNA test to uncover his full breed.
They're both owned by headteacher Rachel Ballance, with Squirrel carrying out the role since she was eight-weeks-old and Woods in the process of going through his training to officially become one.
She said the dogs play an important part in supporting those pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to engage in their learning and making them feel comfortable to come in.
"They feel welcomed, they feel like even if they have had a difficult day the day before that the dogs are really pleased," she said.
"Their tails are wagging, they come and greet them, they come and say hi, so definitely making the students feel welcome, making them feel well received and certainly not judged.
"Squirrel, being a Labrador, she has that kind of sixth sense of when somebody needs just a little bit of comfort, so often you'll find her just curled up to the one person who hasn't quite managed to get into that learning session.
"They might be talking to them or stroking them and it might just give them that little bit of comfort they need."
In total the school has a capacity for 25 pupils, with it also set to expand through another location in the city.
Alongside helping them with their general learning, headteacher Ballance said it also gives students the opportunity to understand key pieces of communication from dogs and how they can stay safe around them.
She said: "They should all be able to point to a model and say it's the hackles, it's the ears, it's the muzzle, it's their tail, this means this.
"Everything we're trying to do with the dogs is saying if they stop one child getting bitten when they're older, then that is good enough for us to have the dogs here for many years.
"Part of the programme is for them (the dogs) to stay calm, be available, and be close to that student, so when that student's being quite loud, we find sometimes a touch on the dog's head releases those hormones and can help that student calm down much quicker than the staff member can.
"We would never force a dog to do that, we want them to actively choose the space next to that student, which they do tend to."