At Christ Church CE (VA) Primary School, we believe that children and young people learn best when they are happy and have the skills to manage their emotions.  We have Emotional Literacy Support for the times when children need a programme specifically designed to give them strategies to manage their emotions, behaviour or friendships.   

What is ELSA?

There will always be children and young people in schools facing life challenges, no more so than now, that detract from their ability to engage with learning. Some will require greater support to increase their emotional literacy than others.  The Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) programme is an evidence-informed intervention delivered by a teaching assistant and supervised by educational psychologists to support our children. After a thematic analysis of the programme the following themes were identified:

• Feelings and Emotions
• Engagement 
• Resilience
• Hopes and Aspirations
• Relationships

These themes recognise that children learn better and are happier in school if their emotional needs are also addressed.  The aim of ELSA in school is to help the children at Christ Church CE (VA) Primary School to understand their emotions and respect the feelings of those around them. . It can provide time and space for pupils to think about their personal circumstances and how they can manage them.

Who is our ELSA?

An Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) is a specialist teaching assistant with a wealth of experience of working with children. ELSAs are trained and regularly supervised by the Educational Psychologists in the local education authority. An ELSA is a warm and caring person, who wants to help your child feel happy in school and to reach their potential educationally.  Their aim is to remove the barriers to learning and to have happy children in school and at home.

In our school we are lucky enough to have Mrs McNally, who is our qualified Emotional Literacy Support Assistant.  She is based in The Nook and works with children across the school, usually on a one to one basis, but also in small groups, helping them to access help and support. Mrs McNally is a long standing, very active and completely dedicated member of staff around school.

How does ELSA work?

Children are usually referred for ELSA support by their class teacher, SENDCo or Senior Leaders.   With the programme aims in mind, target areas are identified, support sessions are planned  and strategies are shared to help build continuity and sustainability. Support is delivered in a caring, supportive and fun way to help our children find ways to cope with their challenges by helping them build the skills that will help them be able to cope and work through the problems.

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.  ELSA sessions take place in our very The Nook, which provides a calm, quiet, private and safe space for the child to feel supported and nurtured.  Most ELSA programmes will last for 6 to 12 weeks, helping the child to learn some new specific skills or coping strategies but most of all it is a chance for them to talk and a chance for us to listen. We aim to establish a warm, respectful relationship with a child and to provide a reflective space where they are able to share 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, support will be designed to target specific aspects of a child. Training and development of ELSAs is an ongoing process and wisdom is required to recognise when issues are beyond the level of expertise that could reasonably be expected of an ELSA. In these cases, school supports parents with referrals for specialist counselling, play therapy or to CAMHS. The Educational Psychologist that works with our school has regular supervision sessions with our ELSA, and is able to offer advice on suitability or nature of ELSA involvement in complex cases. 

What kind of things do we help with?

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

• Understanding and coping with the feelings and emotions of ourselves and others
• Developing high self-esteem and positive interactions with others
• Improving our friendship, relationship and social skills
• Coping with loss and bereavement including that of family pets and adults who were important to us
• Supporting us with the understanding of the pandemic 
• Living with lifelong conditions which make us feel frustrated or unhappy with how this impacts us

What happens in a session?

The majority of ELSA work is delivered  over a 30-minute session. Interventions are usually 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 arts and craft.  ELSA sessions take place in The Nook which provides a calm, safe space for the child to feel supported and nurtured. 

How do we know if ELSA works?

SMART targets will be set for each of the children who receive ELSA support.  Each session will have an objective that the ELSA wants the pupil to understand or achieve. By setting targets for the children, and by also formulating a baseline from which we can work, we are able to measure the impact of our ELSA. These measures could be linked to attendance, punctuality, behaviour or an improvement in their attainment, achievement, productivity or attitude. By building a positive relationship with the children, our ELSA can help them to think about their behaviours, worries and anxieties, and give them the time and space to reflect on these and share honestly their thoughts and feelings. By doing this our children who benefit from our ELSA support can make huge strides in their progress, confidence, belief and become positive learners who are better placed to achieve their God-given potential.   

 

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If you feel that your child may benefit from ELSA support and want to discuss this further, please click here for a wealth of resources or speak with Mrs Tweddle, who is the trained Senior Mental Health Lead in school.