ELSA - Emotional Literacy Support Assistants

​What is ELSA?
ELSAs are emotional literacy support assistants. They are tweaching assistants who have had special training from educatioal psychologists to support the emotional development of children and young people in school. ELSAs have regular professional supervision from educational psychologists to help them in their work.

How does ELS work?
Most ELSA programmes will last for 6 to 12 weeks, helping the pupil to learn some specific new skills or coping strategies. Clear programmes aims (SMART targets) need to be set early on and each session has an objective - something the ELSA wants to help the pupil to understand or achieve

The ELSA isn't there to 'fix' the child. For pupils with complex or long-term needs, it's unrealistic to expect ELSA support to resolve all their difficulties. Change is a long-term process the needs everyone's help.

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Sometimes children display feeling of anxiety over separation from one or more parent/carer.
​Below shows how that may look and some ideas to help to reduce that stress.