PUPILS at a Bournemouth school welcomed a new face to their class in the form of Elvis the Hungarian Vizsla.

The puppy was a welcome and much-anticipated sight at Jewell Academy in Bournemouth, having previously made weekly visits to the school pre and post-lockdown.

Elvis is just 10-months-old but he has proved to be a fantastic aide for the youngsters as they learn to read, and pupils also enjoy stroking his fur or giving him hugs which has helped to boost their mental wellbeing.

The pooch belongs to Kate Redman, the south coast CEO for Aspirations Academies Trust which oversees Jewell, Magna and Ocean academies, and she revealed she chose him knowing that he had the perfect temperament to be around lots of young children.

She said: “When I chose Elvis, I knew that he would make a lovely companion not just for me but that he would complement the work that I do with schools in our Trust.

“It’s lovely to be able to take Elvis in to the schools I work with and watch the children interact with him.

“Dogs like Elvis are known as ‘velcro dogs’ which means they enjoy companionship. It makes Elvis an ideal companion to sit beside a child who is learning to read or provide comfort to a student.”

One pupil who looks forward to visits from Elvis is 7-year-old Bobby Power.

He said: “Elvis is cute and he helps to take away my crossness. Elvis helps to take my mind off why I’m cross.”

Isla Brown, 6, added: “Elvis helps with reading time and I like to stroke him and I like the colour of him.”

Principal of Jewell, Alexandra Waddington, said: “It’s not just the students who love Elvis, the teachers do too.

“It’s wonderful to have access to a dog like Elvis and he helps to boost the mood of everyone in school.”