ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant)
ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant)
Who is the trained ELSA at Albert Village Primary School?
At Albert Village we currently have one trained and qualified ELSA, Mrs Woodfield.
What they do?
Mrs Woodfield has undertaken an agreed period of study and gained a recognised qualification with Educational Psychologist, Mrs Woodfield has regular supervision meetings with Educational Psychologists to monitor progress and support the work that is happening in the school setting by the ELSA.. ELSAs by nature are kind and caring individuals who want children to do well educationally, but also emotionally, when this is achieved a child is able to reach their full potential and go on to be a contributing member of a community. When a child is feeling happy and safe both at home and at school this will help them overcome any barriers to learning that they may have.
ELSAs are able to support with wide-ranging problems and situations which include:
Loss and bereavement
Emotional literacy
Self esteem
Social Skills
Friendship issues
Relationships
Managing feelings
Anxiety
Bullying
Conflict
Emotional regulation
Growth mindset
Social stories
A snapshot of how an ELSA can help
A child who struggles to make and maintain friendships - the child will be guided through their session either on a one to one basis or in a group session on what a good friend looks like, tips on the best way to make friends, how to treat their friends and how they should be treated by them.
A very angry child - The ELSA will take the child through an anger management intervention to help them recognise their anger triggers, techniques to avoid those triggers and calming down techniques.
A family pet has died - ELSAs are trained in bereavement and understand that the loss of a pet is probably the first experience of death for your child. They will work with your child to help them feel supported in school.
What happens in an ELSA session?
When a child is working with Mrs Woodfield their sessions will have been planned based on the referral. The sessions will be planned in order to suit your child and in a way that will work with their needs. In both one to one sessions and in group sessions your child will have an emotional check in which is a chance for your child to have their feelings heard and valued and be able to discuss how and why they feel the way they do at that current time. Your child will work towards a learning objective or have a focus, this could be something that they could not do before the session or have been working towards over a few sessions. Your child will be offered initially 6 - 12 sessions, which can vary in time, depending on the age of your child. Some children may have one course of ELSA sessions and some children may have more than one course, this all depends on the child.