Emotional Literacy Support Assistant
ELSA
At Herne View Church of England Primary School we have a qualified Emotional Literacy Support Assistant, Dominique Done. She has been trained by Educational Psychologists to plan and deliver programmes of support to pupils who are experiencing temporary and longer term additional emotional needs. Dominique is regularly supervised by the Educational Psychologists from the Local Education Authority.
ELSA sessions take place in our ELSA room in the Pod on both the Silver and Ditton Street sites. It provides a calm, safe space for children to feel nurtured and supported. Sessions are usually delivered on a 1:1 basis, but sometimes small group work is more appropriate. The sessions can be a one off or up to 6 sessions depending on the need of the child.
What is ELSA?
Many children and young people face life challenges that can affect and detract from their ability to engage with learning and friendships. We believe that children learn better when their emotional needs are met and addressed.
ELSA support aims to meet a wide range of emotional needs:
Recognising emotions
Social skills
Friendship skills
Self-esteem
Loss and bereavement
Anger management
Children can be referred for ELSA support via class teachers, Senior Leaders or through discussion with the school SENCOs. The referral is then triaged by the Nurture Team and put on a waiting list for the next available space. Parents will be contacted by the ELSA before the sessions start.
