Award-Winning Innovation: Portland College Recognised for Donkey Assisted Therapy Programme

Portland College is proud to announce it won the 2026 Natspec Award for ‘Innovative Approach to Mental Health and Wellbeing’, by developing Donkey Assistive Therapy to support learners. The award was presented during an online award ceremony on 26 March 2026. 

The award recognises an initiative that makes a measurable difference to learners’ wellbeing. The Donkey Assisted Therapy project stood out nationally as the first of its kind within a SEND college, for its creative and research-informed approach to supporting young people with complex needs. 

The College brought in a herd of donkeys, and we employed an Equine Assisted Therapist to train our herd to become therapy donkeys to support learners who have experienced trauma, anxiety, behavioural challenges, or barriers to accessing education. The programme helps young people to develop resilience, self-regulation, communication and confidence, whilst building a bond between learner and donkey.

In 2024/25, the initiative supported 42 learners and using the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale, found to have improved 86% of learner’s wellbeing, with 43% of learners reporting ‘low wellbeing’ prior to Donkey Assisted Therapy in term 1, and an astonishing 100% reporting ‘moderate wellbeing’ or ‘high wellbeing’ in term 3. We saw non-verbal learners find their voices and significantly increase their physical exercise while interacting with the donkeys.

Angela Newton-Soanes, Principal of the College said: 

“We are really proud to be recognised for our Donkey Assisted Therapy with this award. It may have raised a few eyebrows at first, but equine-assisted approaches have strong evidence base in supporting people with trauma. The development aligned closely with our focus on Mental Health and Wellbeing. Linked to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), this work provides a natural way to help reduce the risk of poor long-term outcomes for our learners.

We believe this is a first for a SEND college and are proud to offer it to all learners. This award reflects the passion and hard work of our team and is a shining example of our Ofsted Outstanding standard in practice.”

Richard Caulfield, Natspec Category Judge said: 

“While animal-based therapy itself is not new, the College invested in an Equine Therapist, and using Donkeys in an education setting and having learners lead sessions themselves is a real innovation. There was really strong evidence that learners’ wellbeing scores have improved and there was also improved attendance. The College has also seen dramatic improvements in behaviours that seemed impossible and learners who previously refused exercise will walk miles with a donkey.”