ELSA

What is an ELSA? 

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. 

An ELSA is an Emotional Literacy Support Assistant with a wealth of experience of working with children.  ELSAs are trained and regularly supervised by the Educational Psychologists in Suffolk. 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. 

ELSAs help children and young people learn to understand their emotions and respect the feelings of those around them. They provide the time and space for pupils to think about their personal circumstances and how they manage them. 

It was designed to build the capacity of schools to support the emotional needs of their pupils from within their own resources. 

Who are the ELSAs at Horizon School? 

Miss Saffron Bond- Instructor 

Mrs Samantha Brooks- Intervention Leader 

Miss Beth Coleman- Intervention Team 

Mrs Ruth Copeman- Intervention Team 

Mrs Sarah Dewhirst- School Engagement Practitioner 

Mrs Emma Jackson- Intervention Team 

Miss Melissa Lark- School Engagement Practitioner (SEP) at Dragonfly

What areas can an ELSA support with? 
  • Loss and bereavement 
  • Emotional Literacy 
  • Self-esteem 
  • Social Skills 
  • Friendship issues 
  • Relationships 
  • Managing strong feelings 
  • Anxiety and worries 
  • Bullying 
  • Conflict 
  • Emotional Regulation 
  • Growth Mindset 
  • Social and therapeutic stories 
  • Problem solving 
  • Emotionally-based school avoidance (EBSA) 
What is a typical ELSA session like? 

There would be a welcome for the child or young person along with an emotional check in. How do they feel today? 

A warm up or icebreaker game or activity would be played. This part is important because it helps the child to feel relaxed and it’s fun! 

The main activity would follow where the ELSA would be teaching something to help the pupil with their target. The ELSA would also review what was learnt last time to see if the child or young person has remembered and if they used the skill taught. 

There would be a relaxation exercise to help the child or young person be ready for class and a quick review on what the child or young person has learnt that session. At this point the ELSA may ask the child or young person to do something for next time. eg. practise star breathing when feeling angry. 

Our Aim 

We aim to establish a warm, respectful relationship with a pupil and to provide a reflective space where they are able to share honestly their thoughts and feelings. We can’t necessarily fix their problems, but we CAN provide emotional support. 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, it is unrealistic to expect ELSA intervention to resolve all their difficulties, however support will be designed to target specific aspects of a child’s need. If additional support is needed, we will work with our families to organise additional support from other agencies. 

For more information, visit: Resources for Emotional Literacy Support Assistants – ELSA Support