ELSA
Our Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) is Miss Mathison
What Is ELSA ?
ELSAs are Emotional Literacy Support Assistants. They are teaching assistants who are specially trained and supervised by Educational Psychologists. An ELSA's aim is to build children's emotional development and help them to cope with life challenges, to enable them to feel happy in school and reach their potential educationally.
How Does ELSA Work ?
Children are usually referred for ELSA support by their class teacher, Senior Leaders, SENDCo, by parents request or an external agency. ELSAs meet with other school staff regularly to discuss the referral forms and to identify and prioritise which children require the weekly sessions. They then plan support sessions to facilitate the pupil in developing new skills and coping strategies that allow them to manage their social and emotional needs more effectively. Children will typically be offered 6 to 12 sessions of ELSA, and the length of them will vary depending on the child's age and needs. Each session is planned carefully and tailored to individuals or groups of children.
Supporting, Not Fixing
It is important to remember that ELSAs are not there to fix children’s problems, they provide emotional support. ELSAs aim to establish a warm and respectful relationship with a pupil and to provide a reflective space where they are able to share honestly their thoughts and feelings. It needs to be appreciated that change cannot necessarily be achieved rapidly and is dependent upon the context and complexity of the presenting issues. For children with complex or long-term needs it is unrealistic to expect ELSA intervention to resolve all of their difficulties, however support will be designed to target specific aspects of a child’s need. Training and development of ELSAs is an ongoing process and they receive regular supervision from Educational Psychologists.
WHAT AREAS CAN ELSA HELP WITH?
Loss and bereavement
Emotional Literacy
Self-esteem
Social Skills
Friendship issues
Relationships
Managing strong feelings
Anxiety and worries
Bullying
Conflict
Emotional Regulation
Growth Mindset
Social and therapeutic stories
Problem solving
and more!
Click here to access the ELSA support website, which offers lots of fantastic resources to access which can be used at home alongside ELSA sessions in school or standalone.