The Place Independent School in Bottesford welcomes 2 new wallabies to help pupils but with 1 missing, headteacher asks: ‘Where’s Wally?’

Two wallabies have arrived at a school to help with children’s learning, but one has escaped.

Staff at the Place Independent School in Bottesford welcomed two wallabies back in July.

They were brought from an animal rescue centre for the children to work with, improve their social skills and ‘give them a sense of responsibility, pride and self-confidence’, said headteacher Charlotte Hardy.

Charlotte added: “The wallabies are here to live their years out happy in acres of land.

“All children have animal care lessons and animal therapy sessions with our animal practitioners.

“Working with the many animals we have helps to improve social skills as children feel more relaxed as animals don’t judge them or put lots of demands on them.

“When we first got them, the children had to be calm, quiet, gentle, giving them time to settle.

“It was a great moment to teach them about when you go somewhere new and all of the feelings that could happen.

“Children at our school have had trauma or with emotional or behavioural difficulties.

“They are at high risk of experiencing academic failure and negative feedback and therefore develop fearful and negative attitudes toward school and work.

“However, teaching them with the wallabies and alongside the other animals in the outdoors, means they teach the animals and work it through with them.

“Removing the ‘classroom’ means they don’t associate it with risk of failure and reduces anxiety.”

In the short time since the school welcomed its two new arrivals, they have already had a positive impact on the children.

Charlotte said: “It’s been evident that they teach the children about empathy and how to care for something.”

The wallabies are not the first animals at the school, as they already have alpacas, chickens, ducks, donkeys and lizards.

The idea of getting wallabies was something Charlotte and the rest of the school staff didn’t expect.

She added: “We’ve had long conversations about how wallabies aren’t native to our area and they are wild animals, not domestic.

“We wouldn’t have ever gone out to get wallabies because they belong in the wild, but rescuing them so they can live out their life happily is different.”

Unfortunately, on August 14, one of the wallabies, named Wally, went missing from the Vale of Belvoir.

Charlotte said: “He started around the school and ventured out towards Belvoir Castle and the woods.

“However, over the last few days we have had reports of sights in Grantham.

“Unless you’re confident with animals, don’t try to follow him or he may end up injured.

“If you are able to catch him, hold him at the base of the tail and call us immediately on the ‘Where’s Wally’ hotline!”

Anyone who may have spotted Wally should call Charlotte on 07761 341516.

Drone to Home, a drone charity that searches for dogs, is also involved in the search for Wally.