What is ELSA?

An Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) is a specialist teaching assistant, who has been trained and is regularly supervised by the Educational Psychologists in the Local Education Authority. An ELSA works with children individually to deliver bespoke interventions tailored to the presenting situation or need. ELSA interventions are designed to help children to develop

• Emotional literacy
• Positive mental health
• Social skills
• Emotional Wellbeing

In line with our school ethos, ELSA acknowledges that children and young people learn best when they feel happier and their emotional needs are being addressed. ELSAs help children learn to understand their emotions and respect the feelings of those around them. They can provide time and space for pupils to think about their personal circumstances and how they can manage them.

Who is the ELSA at Crick Primary School?

Mrs Warner is our Emotional Literacy Support Assistant. She works all day on Mondays delivering 1:1 interventions in a room that has been set up just for ELSA work. Mrs Usher, our wellbeing lead, is Mrs Warner’s line manager. Mrs Usher manages referrals, makes appointments with parents and communicates weekly with Mrs Warner about how the sessions with each child are going.

What kind of things can ELSA interventions help with?

• Loss and bereavement
• Support through a serious illness
• Self-esteem
• Social skills
• Emotions
• Friendship issues
• Relationships
• Anger management
• Behaviour
• Anxiety
• Bullying
• Conflict
• Relaxation techniques
• Separation (including divorce)
• Separation anxiety
• Growth Mindset
• Social and therapeutic stories
• Problem solving

What do I do if I feel my child would benefit from ELSA interventions?

The first step is to discuss your concerns with the child’s class teacher. Usually, the class teacher will put measures in place in class first to see if these help. Then, if the teacher feels the child needs ELSA sessions, they will complete a referral form. These referral forms are given to Mrs Usher, who arranges for the sessions to take place and liaises with parents and teachers to decide what the focus of the sessions should be.

How are ELSA sessions structured?

Interventions usually take place weekly, on a Monday, for half a term. ELSA is designed to be a short term intervention to work on specific targets that can be achieved in 6-8 weeks. Each session lasts half an hour. In the first session, we set SMART targets and have an opportunity to get to know each other better.

Sessions begin with the child being welcomed, asked how they are feeling today and if they have any news they want to share. This informal chat usually lasts for around 3-5 minutes to help the child feel comfortable and get anything off their chest that they are desperate to talk about! We then review what we did last week. The child will then do an activity related to their target for 20 minutes. For the final 5 minutes, Mrs Warner plays a quick game with the child to help them to feel ready to go back to class.

Will my child miss lessons to have interventions?

We acknowledge that some parents are concerned that children will miss out on vital learning because they are attending ELSA sessions. At Crick Primary School, we feel strongly that children learn best when they are happy and safe. We have carefully created a timetable that allows each child to be seen at a different time slot each week, so they don’t always miss the same lesson. Each child will have their timetable glued into their planner at the start of the half term and a copy is also given to their class teacher. Mrs Warner always comes to get children when it is their turn.

What happens when the ELSA intervention is finished?

At the end of the half term, children complete an evaluation to show whether they feel they have met their targets, enjoyed their sessions, found them helpful and the children can also offer any suggestions for improvements. Parents will be contacted by Mrs Usher to arrange an appointment to come in to school to meet with Mrs Warner and Mrs Usher. Parents will also be given a summary sheet which shows what has been achieved in the sessions. Mrs Warner will continue to check in with the children in the half term after their sessions have ended.