Part of the Family
Part of the Family
We are pleased to be able to share information with parents about our Emotional Literacy Support. Our aim is to provide helpful advice on how you can help your child in areas such as empathy, self-esteem or perhaps pick up some tips about calming techniques. Parents and carers will be able to find out about recommended books or websites which may be useful for some self-help at home.
We work in partnership with parents and carers to support our children in the following:
Recognising emotions
Self-esteem
Social skills
Friendship skills
Anger management
Loss and Bereavement
Family illness or separation.
We recognise there will always be children and young people in schools facing life challenges that detract from their ability to engage with learning. Some will require greater support to increase their emotional literacy than others. ELSA is an initiative developed and supported by educational psychologists. It recognises that children learn better and are happier in school if their emotional needs are also addressed.
We are lucky enough to have a qualified Emotional Literacy Support Assistant at our school who has been trained by Educational Psychologists 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. Sessions are fun! A range of activities are used such as: games, role-play, arts or crafts.
Remember, ELSAs are not there to fix children’s problems. What we can do is provide emotional support. We aim to establish a warm, respectful relationship with a pupil and to provide a reflective space where they are able to share honestly their thoughts and feelings.
It needs to be appreciated that change cannot necessarily be achieved rapidly and is dependent upon the context and complexity of the presenting issues. For children with complex or long-term needs it is unrealistic to expect ELSA intervention to resolve all of their difficulties, however support will be designed to target specific aspects of a child’s need. Training and development of an ELSA is an ongoing process and wisdom is required to recognise when issues are beyond the level of expertise that could reasonably be expected of an ELSA. The Educational Psychologist that works with our school would be able to offer advice on suitability or nature of ELSA involvement in complex cases.
If you are concerned about your child, please do speak to us so we can work together. Here are a few examples of resources available to use at home.
Worries
Book recommendation: The Big Bag of Worries by Virginia Ironside
This book is excellent if you have a child that worries. It’s simple break down of what children should do with worries and colourful illustrations make this book perfect for a ‘bedtime read’.
Self Esteem
Visit Family Lives which provides parents with useful tips about getting children to be, accept and value themselves.