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Emotional Literacy Support Assistance (ELSA)
Welcome to our school ELSA page!
We are pleased to be able to share with you information about our Emotional Literacy support in school.
There will always be children in schools facing life challenges that can detract from their ability to engage with learning, some require greater support than others to increase their emotional literacy. ELSA is an initiative designed and supported by Educational Psychologists. It recognises that children are happier and learn better if their emotional and social needs are being met. Mrs Hickson, our school ELSA, has received training from the Bromley Educational Psychologists to be able to deliver individual or group interventions to address the needs of our pupils.
The sessions are tailored to meet the individual needs of the child and the programme usually runs for 10-12 weeks. The session are fun and include activities like role-play, games, reading books, arts and craft and therapeutic activities such as mindfulness. ELSA sessions take place in our school library which provides a calm and relaxing space where the children can explore their emotions and feelings in a safe and caring environment ensuring each child feels supported and nurtured.
ELSA aims to support a wide range of emotional needs including:
Recognising emotions
Anxiety
Self-Esteem
Social Skills
Anger management
Loss and bereavement
How does ELSA work?
If you have any concerns about your child's emotional wellbeing, please speak to your child's class teacher who will be able to offer advice and assistance in the first instance.
Children are usually referred to ELSA by their class teacher, however Mrs Hickson also works closely with Ms Marrison our School SENCO to identify children that would benefit from ELSA intervention.
Supporting not fixing
It needs to be appreciated that an ELSA's job is to support the children not to fix their problems, to provide them with the skills they need which can then be transferred into their school and home life. It also needs to be recognised that change cannot necessarily be achieved rapidly and is dependent upon the complexity of the presenting difficulties.
Self help
Please find below some useful links and suggested books to help your child's emotional wellbeing
Do you have an anxious child?
A useful link for guidance on helping your child overcome anxiety https://copingskillsforkids.com/calming-anxiety
What to do when you worry too much (By Dawn Huebner) - An interactive self-help book which empowers children to work towards change.
Ruby's Worry (Tom Percival) - a lovely story which explains how worries can grow if we don't share them. It's true that a "worry shared is a worry halved"!
Anger is not a negative emotion we just need to tame it!
Help with those "hot feelings" - some tips and information about managing anger in children http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/praise-discipline/anger-management-children
Ravi's Roar (Tom Percival) - Most of the time Ravi can control his temper but, one day, he lets out the tiger within. Being a tiger is great fun at first - tigers can do ANYTHING they want! But who wants to play with a growling, roaring, noisy, wild tiger who won't share or play nicely? Ravi is about to discover something very important about expressing his feelings and making amends.
Self Esteem
Is your child having problems with self-esteem? This link gives some useful advice to parents
Sully the Sea Horse (Natalie Pritchard) - A heart-warming, beautifully illustrated rhyming picture book which encourages children to believe in themselves and to be proud of who they are.
Bereavement
Supporting bereaved children and young people http://childbereavementuk.org
Muddles, puddles and sunshine (Diana Crossley) - This book offers practical and sensitive support for bereaved children. Beautifully illustrated, it suggests a helpful series of activities and exercises accompanied by the friendly characters of Bee and Bear.
