Emotional Literacy Support (ELSA)

Hello and welcome to our school ELSA page. Our names are Mrs Hamnett, Mrs Parker and Miss Sutton, we are the Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSAs) at St. Bede's. On this page we will share information about Emotional Literacy Support. We aim to post ideas and useful advice on how you can help support your child in areas such as empathy, self esteem, recognising & managing emotions, friendship, loss & bereavement. You could even pick up some really helpful tips about calming techniques for anxiety or anger management.

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. It recognises that children learn better and are happier in school if their emotional needs are also addressed. 

Support will be designed to target specific aspects of the childs needs, however, change can not necessarily be achieved rapidly, it is dependent on the content and complexities of these needs.

The majority of ELSA work is expected to be delivered on an individual basis, but sometimes small group work will be appropriate, especially in the areas of social and friendship skills.

Supporting - not fixing

Remember as ELSAs we are not there to fix childrens problems. However, what we can do is provide emotional support to your child by establishing a warm and respectful relationship and a reflective space, where they feel able to share honestly their thoughts and feelings.

What to do if you have any concerns about your child.

If you have any concerns at all the first thing you need to do is contact your class teacher.

Children are usually referred for ELSA support by their teacher, our SENDCo (Mrs Mullins), or our Deputy/Head teacher. We then meet to discuss the referrals and identify and prioritise which children require ELSA support. This support may be in the form of a weekly programme lasting approximately 6-8 weeks, resources for you to work with at home with your child an invitation to Lego Based Therapy which takes place at lunchtime.