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 a specialist teaching assistant, trained by educational psychologists.  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.

Children are usually referred for ELSA support by their class teacher, senior leaders or SENDCo. We will prioritise which children require a programme for the next 6-8 weeks. With the programme aims in mind, we then plan support sessions to facilitate the pupil in developing new skills and coping strategies that allow them to manage social and emotional demands more effectively.

Each session lasts approximately 30-40 minutes, once a week. Each session includes time to talk (emotional check-in), a planned main activity which will be interactive and may include a game, followed by some quiet, relaxation time.

ELSA sessions will vary from 1-2-1's to group sessions.

Depending on the child's needs, one off sessions can also be arranged as well as weekly check- ins rather than a programme of sessions.

Remember, ELSAs are not there to fix children's problems. What they do is provide emotional support to those who need it. They aim to establish a warm, respectful relationship with a pupil and to provide a reflective space where children are able to share honestly, their thoughts and feelings.

For children with complex or long term needs it is unrealistic to expect ELSA intervention to resolve all of their difficulties, however support will be designed to target specific aspects of a child's need.