Children at a North Tyneside school are boosting their reading confidence with help from a four-legged friend - Berta the Bloodhound.
She is offering a friendly ear to Monkseaton Middle School's 250 students as they read and also offers a soothing presence during the academic day. The Spanish rescue Bloodhound Cross is owned by Monkseaton Middle’s headteacher, Kirsty Nichols-Mackay, and has been coming into the school on Vernon Drive, since September 2020.
Students and teachers have both fallen in love with the 10-year-old canine companion, who is trained as a therapy dog. Berta is one of a number of animals cared for by the children in the school, including gerbils, guinea pigs, snails, and a tortoise.
