A new initiative to encourage responsible behaviour and cut bullying in the classroom has been introduced which sees pupils learning from babies.
The new scheme from Perth and Kinross Council encourages children to interact in a nurturing manner by bringing a baby and its parent into the classroom over the course of the school year.
Charity Action for Children Scotland is working in partnership with the council to deliver Roots of Empathy scheme to 13 primary schools in the area.
Aileen Campbell, minister for children and young people said: "Roots of Empathy is an innovative programme which takes an early intervention approach to tackling and reducing aggression and bullying in schools.
"Programmes like this can have a hugely positive influence on a child's development so I'm pleased that the Scottish Government has been able to support Roots of Empathy through the Early Years Early Action Fund, managed by Inspiring Scotland."
The primary focus of Roots of Empathy is to reduce problem behaviour, including fighting and bullying, in classrooms.
Independent evaluations of the programme carried out in Canada, where the programme originated and has been active for the longest period of time, revealed a significant increase in peer acceptance in 74% of children and a decrease in social aggression in 39% of children.
Paul Carberry, operational director of children's services at Action for Children Scotland, said: "Roots of Empathy teaches school children to understand their own feelings and the feelings of others by using a baby from the local community as a 'tiny teacher'.
“Observing the attentive, loving interaction between the parent and the child teaches pupils to better understand their own feelings and the feelings of others, resulting in more respectful relationships and a dramatic reduction in levels of aggression among school children.”
Sheena Devlin, Perth & Kinross Council's head of education early years and primary said: "It is crucial that children gain an early understanding of their own feelings, learning to manage and express them appropriately. They also need to understand the feelings of those people around them so their relationships with others are positive ones. For that reason we are very pleased to bring Roots of Empathy into our classrooms to show pupils that they can interact with care, thought and respect."
The video on this page incorrectly captions one speaker as Molly's mother Margaret Tierney. It is, in fact, Aileen Campbell MSP.
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