Great Bedwyn CE Primary School takes the emotional health and wellbeing of every child seriously. We believe that the school can help pupils build resilience and support them to be mentally healthy.
ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant)
Sometimes, children and young people in schools may be facing life challenges that detract from their ability to engage fully with learning. Some will require greater support to increase their emotional literacy than others. ELSA is an initiative developed and supported by educational psychologists to support children with this. It recognises that children learn better and are happier in school if their emotional needs are also addressed.
At Great Bedwyn CE School we have two qualified Emotional Literacy Support Assistants. Mrs Heber-Percy and Mrs Wright have been trained by the Educational Psychology team 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 occasionally, some group work is more appropriate, especially in the areas of social and friendship skills.
There are many emotional areas that ELSA can help with, including:
- Social Skills
- Anxiety
- Social Situations
- Therapeutic Stories
- Anger Management
- Self-esteem
- Real-life problem-solving skills
- Friendship