Interest in using dogs in educational settings for therapeutic purposes, and ultimately to enhance participation in learning, is increasing. Practitioners, educational settings, and local authorities, have made a number of enquiries to Education Scotland about the benefits of dog visits to schools and what they should be considering in practical terms if they want to introduce dog visits in their setting.

In response to these enquiries in November 2023 Education Scotland hosted the ‘Dogs in Education Settings Supporting Children, Young People and Adults’ webinar.

In the webinar Mel Hughes, CEO of Canine Concern Scotland Trust, shared an overview of their Therapet volunteer programme and the work that they do in schools and other settings.

Two schools also shared their experience of having dogs in their settings. One setting used the dog visits to support a reading programme and one setting used the visits to promote the wellbeing of learners who required additional support.