We welcome your furry friends at school. However, to ensure everyone is safe and happy, we have a policy to cover this. We share the policy here for your reference.

Dogs on School Grounds Policy

Dogs are an important part of life for many Sherwood Primary School families, and are often included in activities such as walking children to and from school. The school appreciates this inclusion and values the place the dog has within a family. It also acknowledges that some people can find contact with dogs stressful, and even frightening.

Parents who bring dogs on to school grounds do so on the understanding that their dog has no issues around children, has never displayed any aggression towards children, and that the owner believes the dog is fully trustworthy in a school environment.

Owners bringing a dog or dogs on to the school grounds must follow the guidelines below.

Guidelines

• All dogs must be on a leash that keeps the dog reasonably close to the adult. The adult is responsible for maintaining control of the dog.
• Dogs can be tied up for brief periods e.g. long enough to take a child to their class. The dog must be on a short leash and away from entry points so that people in the school grounds have a choice about whether they come into contact with the dog.
• If the dog is considered by the council or any other authority to be a breed that needs muzzling, the dog must be muzzled on school property.
• Dogs are permitted to come into school buildings with the permission of a staff member. The person responsible for the dog should make sure that people who do not wish to come in contact with the dog are able to do so.
• Dog owners should help educate children about how best to approach their dog.
• Dogs are not allowed to drink from school water fountains.
• Owners must remove any mess left by their dog.

Sherwood Primary School is committed to teaching children appropriate behaviour when approaching dogs so that they have a positive experience interacting with the animal, and in order to reduce the risk of accident or injury. From time to time our school hosts programmes created to educate children on how to interact with dogs safely.

Stray/unaccompanied dogs

Any stray/unaccompanied dog at school will be reported to dog control and taken away so there is no danger to our students.