Lostock Gralam C of E Primary School
Children's Well-being
What is ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant)?
There will always be children and young people in schools facing life challenges that detract from their ability to engage with learning. Some will require greater support to increase their emotional literacy than others. 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.
We are lucky enough to have two qualified Emotional Literacy Support Assistants at Lostock Gralam Primary. Both Mrs Elson and Mrs Hoskins have been trained by Educational Psychologists to plan and deliver programmes of support to pupils who are experiencing temporary or longer term additional emotional needs. The majority of ELSA work is delivered on an individual basis, but sometimes small group work is more appropriate, especially in the areas of social and friendship skills. Sessions are fun, we use a range of activities such as: games, role-play with puppets or arts and craft. ELSA sessions take place in our very own 'ELSA space' which provides a calm, safe space for the child to feel supported and nurtured.
In ELSA we aim to provide support for a wide range of emotional needs:
- Recognising emotions
- Self-esteem
- Social skills
- Friendship skills
- Anger management
- Loss and bereavement
Nurture
Nurture group is a focused intervention to support children who are experiencing particular social, emotional or behavioural difficulties which are creating a barrier to their learning. Research shows that a child is able to learn best when they have strong self-esteem, a sense of belonging and resilience and this is supported through sessions within school on a regular basis. Our sessions focus on trust and the sharing of feelings and experiences in order to improve emotional skills, reduce difficult behaviour and enable the students to become more confident, more engaged with their learning and more resilient, positive young people.
January 2021
Please find attached a fantastic booklet to share with your children. This may help to aid their understanding about our current situation and learning from home. It is called "We are at home right now."