Student wellbeing

Teaching physical health through an animal-focused curriculum is both engaging and effective. 

Physical Activity with Animals:  We work alongside our small dog walking enterprise business (Wanderlust walkies) and we spend the morning enjoying a long walk in local woods and fields with our gang of very friendly hounds. We learn about the importance of exercise for both animals and people, and feel, first hand the benefits of this for all.

Animal Care Responsibilities: As registered members of the British Wildlife Rehabilitation Council, We teach students about the physical aspects of caring for animals through our on-site small animal centre.  We involve our students in all the aspects of daily animal care such as grooming, feeding, cleaning out and exercising all our animals. We operate a small rescue centre at The Learning Sanctuary where students learn all about the responsibilities we have towards animals of all types.

This aspect of Well-being is all about our own environments and how we can create environments for all forms of life that are safe, caring and nurturing. This starts in our rescue centre and learning setting and links closely to school. We aim to create a community for our animals and ourselves that has respect embedded through its core.  

Our wider environments are key to ensuring we can thrive and through the curriculum students will have opportunities to connect with their communities and wider world in a positive manner and build skills to ensure they can contribute successfully. We will work closely with parents and wider professionals to ensure children in our care can start to build environments in all aspects of their world that ensure a feeling of safety and belonging.

PDAM is a tool we use to ensure students can build a skill set that enables them to build meaningful and lasting relationships with positive peers, adults and family.

We have PSHE programs designed to ensure students understand the theoretical importance but it is crucial they have the opportunity to practice these skills.

We adopt a restorative approach to challenges and incidents so that students can regulate and reflect to ensure relationships can continue to grow.

It is scientifically proven that interactions with animals can boost levels of serotonin and dopamine, leading to improved mood and feelings of happiness. All the young people in our care will have access to mindful experiences such as forest bathing, horse riding, and caring for small animals, all of which are proven to have calming benefits, helping to reduce stress and anxiety.

Engaging with the physical activity of our dog walking enterprise can improve mental health through the release of endorphins and the sheer joy of watching our amazing dogs play together as we hike local beauty spots, it really does focus the mind on the present moment.

Caring for our small animals in our rescue centre fosters a sense of responsibility, purpose and an immense feeling of pride and reward when a small animal is nurtured back to health.

At The Learning Sanctuary we strive to support students become strong advocates for themselves and to understand their mental health and how they can improve it.