Our pets at William Harding

At William Harding we believe having animals as pets in school is hugely important for all our pupils and staff.  Our community is currently made up of over 800 pupils and a wide ranging number of school pets.

Having school pets fits with our curriculum approach and our vision;

• School Values of; Respect, Responsibility and Collaboration 

• School Motto of; ‘Be kind’

  Benefits of school pets

• Pets can encourage a child’s learning needs, especially in reading, communication, observation and speaking. This is a useful tool when teaching all children but can be particularly helpful for those with special educational needs (SEN)

• They can help children with behavioural needs as time with the pets can be used as a reward or relaxation

• For many children, it will be their only contact with a pet as they don’t have them at home

Evidence indicates that benefits include;

• Cognitive – companionship with a pet stimulates memory, problem-solving and game-playing. Reading to a pet can be very beneficial as pets give unconditional acceptance and are non-judgemental. Pets make amazing listeners.

• Social – a pet provides a positive mutual topic for discussion and encourages responsibility, wellbeing and collaboration with others.

• Emotional – a school pet improves self-esteem, acceptance from others and lifts mood, often provoking laughter and fun. Pets can also teach empathy, compassion and respect for other living things as well as relieving anxiety.

• Physical – interaction with a furry friend reduces blood pressure, provides tactile stimulation, assists with pain management, gives motivation and stimulates the senses.

• Environmental – a pet in a school increases the sense of a family environment with strong caring relationships, with all of the above benefits continuing long after the school day is over.

Click below to find out more;

Are classroom pets the answer to better learning?

Meet our School Pets

All our school pets are cared for by the staff and our Animal Advocates. This team of pupils support other pupils in learning how to care for and interact with small pets. You can read about the benefits of school pets below.

Pre-School Fish

Over at Preschool we are super excited to announce we have four pet fish. The children decided to name them Elsa, Anna, Fred and Spider-fish. 

They live in Violet room and all the children love having turns to feed them. 

They are Variatus Planty fish and they enjoy living in small groups and they can grow to 4cm! 

All the children helped to set up the tank, add scoops of gravel and ornaments to make the fish feel at home with us. 

Reception Gerbils - Custard Cream and Bourbon Biscuit

Reception have enjoyed welcoming 2 new gerbils; Custard cream and Bourbon biscuit. They really enjoy digging, even when they have reached the bottom! They love playing with tubes and egg boxes, although they don't last long as they eat them as a treat! The children love to watch them run around and spend lots of time with them.

Year 1 Hamster - Caramel

Year 1 have welcomed a golden hamster called Caramel. He loves to play in his wheel and his ball. He loves to sleep in his tubes! Though he likes to sleep in the day he has been out to say hello to all the children. He loves to eat broccoli and other vegetables. He looks forward to meeting other children whilst at William Harding!

KS1 Hamster - Ginger

Outside KS1 Booster Room is home to Ginger the Hamster, who loves to play and is very friendly. Ginger was lucky enough to go home with a student for the school holidays and absolutely loved the adventure!

Year 2 Fish

Year 2 have been loving our new additions of 6 zebra fish! They have been so relaxing to watch and the children are enjoying the responsibility of feeding them each day. We will be adding to our school with 6 more very soon and when we do, each class will get to name 3 fish each. 

Year 3 Hamster - Rocco

Year 3 are very excited to welcome Rocco, our dwarf hamster. He's quite a shy hamster and loves sleeping during the day. Rocco loves playing in the tube and you'll often find him snuggling in the tube and in his house.  The children love to feed him and watch him play - when he's not sleeping! 

Year 4 Guinea Pigs - Biscoff and Oreo

Year 4 have welcomed two female guinea pigs into their year group. Biscoff and Oreo are enjoying exploring their new home and socialising with each other. The children have learnt to responsibly handle them with care and it is very fun watching them scurry in and out of their tunnels. Biscoff and Oreo are certainly going to enjoy being a part of William Harding School!

Year 6 Hamster - Poppy

Poppy is the wonderful year 6 hamster who has now been with the school for just over a year. Poppy is a very energetic climber and although very sleepy during the day, enjoys being petted and getting treats. Poppy is located outside Windsor classroom in the KS2 building. See if you can spot her next time you pass by!

Poppy’s Half-Term Adventures

Year 6 Rabbits - Clara and Honey

Clara and Honey are very happy, healthy rabbits who currently live in the Year 5 corridor. Clara is the white rabbit and Honey is the brown rabbit. They are girl rabbits and the children love playing with them, holding them and helping clean them out. They are very soft, fluffy and friendly. They both enjoyed being taken home for the school holidays and would love the opportunity to go home with a pupil again.

Office Gerbils

We have two delightful gerbils who live just outside the main school hall and we call them the ‘Office Gerbils’. These gerbils do not have names yet, so the pupils can have fun naming them! There is one black and one white gerbil. They are very friendly and full of energy, so pupils throughout the entire school love to come and play with them and help clean them out.

Snigel the Snail

Introducing Snigel the Snail! Who is our Giant African Land Snail. Snigel lives in the Reception Shared area and is a very interesting topic of conversation with the pupils, being a shelled gastropod. Up until now, Snigel has been looked after by staff members, but now that he is comfortable in his home, he is happy to be looked after by students, and is looking for a home for the holidays!

Office Fish