How could you not fall in love with these wee smiling faces, arms raised ready for a hug?

These are our hand-knitted “Buddy Bears” and we sent out over 200 of them, one to each child in the school, from nursery to P7, at the beginning of the Christmas break.

I first spotted the idea on Twitter when I saw that Riverside Primary in Livingston, West Lothian, had handed out Buddy Bears to its children in May, during the first lockdown. I was instantly struck by the idea and how well it supported our school ethos.

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Our approach at Raigmore is supportive, nurturing and restorative - we aim to build relationships and connections, to spread love and joy; the work of Suzanne Zeedyk and the power of teddies has supported this vision. Our amazing parent council chair (who also just happens to be one of our pupil support assistants in school, leading our nurture room) immediately got on the case and rallied up a crew of knitters to bring our Buddy Bears to life.

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After a lengthy quarantine, our bears finally made it to their new homes with their delighted children in December. We knew we wouldn’t be back after the break and wanted the children to have that comfort and connection to the school.

A class teacher labelled each wee bear and popped one in a pack alongside some other activities for the children to take home.

A teddy went home with every child before Christmas. They’ve been more powerful than we could have imagined! Providing comfort as the children transition between school & home. A wee friend to talk to, share with and hug. @suzannezeedyk @connectedbaby @EQIMSouthHC @Henry_Hepburn pic.twitter.com/SqMt04CI6L

- Raigmore Primary School (@RaigmorePS) January 15, 2021

The bears keep the children company, help them to stay on track with their learning, join in games and stories. We set a teddy challenge every week at assembly, which focuses on health and wellbeing.

We have received so many photos from the children across the school with their Buddy Bears, and the feedback from the children and their families has been overwhelmingly positive.

These comments (and there are more) speak for themselves:

“My daughter loves it, she’s sleeping with [her] buddy and carries it everywhere.”

“It makes the bridge between school and home. It keeps the children motivated, they want to include Buddy in their routines and it helps keep a bit of normality.”

“A lovely idea to remind my child of all the memories in school and the year of 2020 - especially for a Forces child that could move again - she always has a reminder.”

“Buddy Bear has really helped with the absence of friends...So positive so far.”

“Completely positive - it has really helped my child build a stronger connection to the school during lockdown. It is a great comfort and reminder during difficult times to know that the school cares so much!”

“He has kept me company. He is part of the family. Whenever I feel lonely, he is next to me.”

“My daughter takes it everywhere with her, it makes her feel connected with the school.”

“The teddy has been good company and a reminder of school which helps my son be calm.”

“My son asks his Buddy Bear questions about the situation - the ‘whys’.”

A good knitter has proven to be worth their weight in gold - it isn’t just the bears who are smiling, but the children and the creators of the teddies, too.

And we now know this much: we definitely underestimated the impact that these wee smiling bears would have.

Autumn Macaulay is headteacher at Raigmore Primary in Inverness, Scotland