Pastoral Support

ELSA - Emotional Literacy Support Assistant

An ELSA is a member of school staff who has had specialist training from educational psychologists, to support the emotional development of the children and young people within school. The ELSA’s within South Wootton Junior School are Mrs Pratt and Miss Kirby. They have regular professional supervision from educational psychologists to help them in their work.
ELSAs help children and young people to develop emotional literacy and 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.

What is emotional literacy?

• Understanding and coping with feelings about ourselves and others.
• Developing high self-esteem and positive interactions with others.
• Being emotionally literate helps children focus better on their learning.

Some of the areas that ELSAs may work on are:

• Recognising emotions.
• Self-esteem.
• Social skills.
• Friendship skills.
• Anger management.
• Loss and bereavement.

How does the ELSA work?

• A regular slot during the school week for 30-40 minutes, for a period of 6 weeks. This can be increased if necessary.
• Sessions can be individual or in small groups, and tailored to the child’s individual needs.
• Sessions are fun and might include role-play, puppets, board games, art and craft, and stories.
• They include time to talk.
• A pupil’s progress will be reviewed on a half-termly basis.

As a parent/carer, how can you help?

• By informing the class teacher/school if there are any issues that may be affecting your child.

Please feel welcome to contact your child’s teacher or the ELSA if you have any questions.