ELSA - Emotional Literacy Support Assistant

Our ELSA

What is ELSA?

Mrs Cornish is our Emotional Literacy Support Assistant at Colsterworth, who has been trained by Educational Psychologists to plan and deliver programmes of support for pupils who are experiencing temporary or longer-term emotional needs. 

 An ELSA is a warm and caring person who wants to help your child to reach their potential.

Their aim is to build your child’s emotional development, resilience and confidence, helping them cope with life’s challenges.

ELSA provides support for a range of emotional needs:

• Recognising emotions
• Self-esteem
• Social skills
• Friendship skills
• Anger management
• Loss and bereavement

What do ELSA's do?

An ELSA's role is not to fix a child's problems but to provide emotional support for the child.  We aim to establish a warm, respectful relationship with a pupil and to provide a reflective space where they can share honestly their thoughts, feelings and feel heard.

How does ELSA work?

ELSA is often delivered on a 1:1 basis usually for a 6-8 week programme, but sometimes a group approach is more appropriate.  A child is referred for ELSA by the class teacher, a senior leader or the SENCo. The sessions are then planned accordingly to facilitate the pupil in developing new skills and coping strategies that allow them to manage social and emotional demands more effectively.