Reason dog sits outside school gates every morning
Teddy is a model pupil at his Liverpool school. To his credit, he attends every week, even arriving earlier than expected. He wears the appropriate uniform, a striped tie and neatly combed hair, and he always responds when spoken to.
However, what makes him stand out from the rest of the pupils at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, is what makes him so loved - he is a four-legged resident therapy dog.
The cockapoo was brought into the Litherland premises after covid to help the children “settle after such a turbulent time”. Since then, the three-year-old has done a great job, but this term, more so than usual, as he has been helping with a national awareness week.
READ MORE: He became friendly with two women in Liverpool city centre then raped them
READ MORE: Liverpool's best-loved pizza restaurants for National Pizza Day
Held annually in February, the 2025 Children’s Mental Health Week looks at “know yourself to grow yourself”, focusing on self-awareness. Headteacher Maria Richardson explained that several initiatives happen throughout the week under her supervision.
She told the ECHO: “After we returned from covid, we knew we needed to make staff, children and parent’s mental health a big priority. We introduced a lot of things to make this possible, and it's been this way ever since.
“We had children who lost parents, and so there was a lot of work for us to do to get where we are today. Children were coming in saying they were not celebrating their birthday that year because it couldn’t be afforded, and their parents needed to cut back.
“It was becoming very common very quickly for us. So we decided to celebrate children’s birthdays every Friday. We have banners, shared cakes, and a big box of toys we fill out each term from Argos. Even simple things like a morning mood tracker make a difference for our young ones. It’s been a real journey for us.”
One initiative sees Teddy sit by the Ford Close school gates to greet families each morning ahead of lessons. Teddy is minded by two dedicated mental health leads and trained first aiders. At night, he goes home with Maria.
She said: “He’s so very affectionate. If he has been off, he will wait there to hug you as soon as he is back, and it's a big, proper hug. He is so lovely, and his temperament is perfect.”
The school is part of the INEOS Forgotten 40 project set up by Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The engineer and businessman wanted to help children in the UK's poorest areas. Maria said Teddy has done exactly that as the trained pup can sense anxiety, provide comfort and assist with transitional periods.