The Hive, The Sett and Elsa – Spaces developed to provide the time out and pastoral support children may need.
The Hive – a calm, happy learning support space with a ‘bee happy’ theme. Children may work on programmes such as ‘Confident Me’ or access learning support. It may just be the right place for a meet and greet. Our Early Help Family Support Worker is also based in here when in school.
The Sett – With the badger as part of our identity, the home of the badger gives its name to our special room – The Sett. In addition to an extra space for year 3 children to learn routinely, it is also used for lunchtime nurture and small group working.
The Hideout – a Learning support room with opportunity to work at a different pace or seek a safe space when needed.
ELSA – Emotional Literacy Support within the ‘ELSA’ Room
Our school ELSA is Mrs Peck.
What is ELSA?
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.
ELSAs have 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 sometimes small group work is more appropriate, especially in the areas of social and friendship skills. Sessions are fun – we use a range of activities such as: games, role-play with puppets or arts and craft. ELSA sessions take place in our very own ‘ELSA room’ which provides a calm, safe space for the child to feel supported and nurtured.
In ELSA we aim to provide support for a wide range of emotional needs:
Recognising emotions
Self-esteem
Social skills
Friendship skills
Anger management
Loss and bereavement
How does ELSA work?
Children are usually referred for ELSA support by their class teacher, Senior Leaders or the SENCo. They identify and prioritise which children require a weekly programme for the next 6-8 weeks. With the programme aims in mind we then plan support sessions to facilitate the pupil in developing new skills and coping strategies that allow them to manage social and emotional demands more effectively.
Supporting – Not fixing
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 their difficulties, however support will be designed to target specific aspects of a child’s need. Training and development of ELSAs 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 have any questions about ELSA please make an appointment to speak with Mrs Peck via our SENCO, Mrs Crutchley.
