ELSA

Hello and welcome to our school ELSA page!

Mrs Little is pleased to be able to share information with parents about Emotional Literacy Support on the school website. On this page we aim to post ideas and helpful advice on how you can help your child; for example in areas such as empathy, self esteem or perhaps to pick up some tips about calming techniques. Parents and carers will be able to find out about recommended books which may be useful and links to other websites for some self-help at home.

What is a school ELSA?

There will always be children and young people in schools facing life challenges that detract from their ability to engage with learning. Some will require greater support to increase their emotional literacy than others. ELSA is an initiative developed and supported by educational psychologists. We recognise that children learn better and are happier in school if their emotional needs are also addressed.

The majority of ELSA work is delivered on an individual basis, but sometimes small group work is more appropriate, especially in the areas of social and friendship skills. Sessions are fun, we use a range of activities such as: games, role-play with puppets or therapeutic activities such as mindfulness or arts and craft. ELSA sessions take place in our very own 'ELSA room' which provides a calm, safe space for the child to feel supported and nurtured.

In our ELSA sessions we aim to provide support for a wide range of emotional needs:

Recognising emotions:

Anxiety
Self- esteem
Social skills
Friendship skills
Anger management
Loss and bereavement

How does ELSA work?

Pupils experiencing social and/or emotional difficulties are referred for ELSA support within schools. The referrer (often the teacher) identifies an area in which the pupil needs emotional literacy support and, with the ELSA, sets a SMART target around the skill(s) the pupil will be supported to develop new skills and coping strategies that allow them to manage social and emotional demands more effectively.

Sessions are planned by the ELSA to teach the pupil new skills to meet targets related to their emotional wellbeing.
Targets and outcomes are reviewed regularly, and progress monitored.
ELSAs work with children weekly for around 30-45minutes, on an individual and group basis in a separate, private space.

Supporting your child

I aim to establish a warm, respectful relationship with pupils and to provide a reflective space where they are able to share honestly their thoughts and feelings.

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 support will be designed to target specific aspects of a child's needs.

As a school we can support parents with referrals for specialist counselling, play therapy or to CAMHS.

The Parenting Smart website has lots of useful parenting advice from child mental health experts about various subjects.

Click the stars below for information about each of the topics.