Reptiles is an animal enrichment facility at Lift Kingswood. Currently home to our resident tortoises, fondly named by the students ‘Donatello’ and 'Leonardo', our leopard gecko ‘Randall’, a crested gecko 'Ziggy', a snake named 'Cornelius' and finally the confident and friendly bearded dragon 'Blackbeard'.
Students have enjoyed feeding the creatures daily, changing their moss habitats and ensuring their cages are clean and well equipped every day.
We also have recruited reptile leaders from across all year groups. The reptile leaders are experienced students who oversee the welfare of the reptiles. Students who are reptile leaders develop their skills in animal husbandry by coaching other students in the school in attentive handling and care of the creatures during social times. The reptile leaders also develop their skills in responsibility through following a rota of feeding and cleaning out the creatures, as well as reporting any welfare concerns. Another skill developed through the role of a reptile leader is animal management as students develop their own skills in handling animals, as well as expanding their knowledge base around the reptiles habitats, dietary needs, living conditions and many other areas.
The reptiles are also a vital part of the SEND therapy animal package. Students spend time exploring social, emotional and mental health needs through the calm and predictable nature of reptiles. Similarly, students develop their communication skills through talking to the animals as a vessel for developing their interaction skills.
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