Welcome to our Emotional Literacy Support page

ELSA- Emotional Literacy Support Assistant

Mental health is very important in our schools and we want to give the children strategies to cope with the ups and downs of everyday life. Research supports the need for early intervention, to help children recognise & deal with their complex emotional responses. Indeed supporting children with their emotions also supports their learning in school; as they develop good resilience and self-esteem.

An ELSA provides specialist support for children following extra training from educational psychologists and other specialists in areas such as bereavement. They have regular supervision in order to support them and to provide strategies where needed. The aims of our ELSAs are to help the children talk about their concerns and develop ways to help them cope in a supportive atmosphere. The work is relaxed and can be play based which means that the child feels comfortable and learns valuable skills for the future.

Our ELSA supports the children in the following 7 areas either 1:1 or in small groups:

Emotions
Self-esteem
Anxiety/Worries
Anger Management
Friendship Skills
Social Skills
Loss & bereavement

We have a dedicated ELSA room, the 'Tree House' in which the children feel safe and secure and are able to express their feelings openly and honestly.  Children are referred either through the class teacher, or some parents refer via drop-in sessions that are available to parents on Monday & Thursday mornings after drop-off (or Monday afternoon before pick-up). 

Our Emotional Literacy Support Assistant at Mrs Bland's is;

Ms Maria Cox is the ELSA at Mrs Bland's. She has been working in the school for many years. Maria came from a buying background and is a mother of two children, who attended Mrs Bland’s School. Since then she has gained a wealth of experience working with children and has developed her role as an ELSA over the past number of years. She has attended many courses to support this role and is passionate about supporting children at a young age to develop their own support mechanisms, to help them through life. She is happy to support families too.  To contact Ms Cox, please telephone or email the school office.