An ELSA in a school is an Emotional Literacy Support Assistant. ELSAs are specialists with a wealth of experience of working with  children and young people. ELSAs are trained and regularly supervised by Educational Psychologists. In our school, Mrs Thys-Holland has been trained as an ELSA and she has time allocating to supporting some of our young people using ELSA techniques.

The aim of ELSA is to make children and young people feel happy in school. and to reach their potential socially, emotionally and academically. ELSAs understand the barriers to learning that some children and young people might have and can help them with this. They can support the children and young person’s emotional development and help them cope with life’s challenges. ELSAs will also help children and young people to find solutions to problems they might have.

An ELSA is not there to fix problems but to help them find their own solutions and offer that important support to a child or young person. They can support children with:

• Loss and bereavement
• Emotional Literacy
• Self-esteem
• Social Skills
• Friendship issues
• Relationships
• Managing strong feelings
• Anxiety and worries
• Bullying
• Conflict
• Emotional Regulation
• Growth Mindset