Lee is a trained ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) and can support students in a variety of ways to recognise and regulate their emotions, giving them the means to engage more effectively in education and the wider world too.  Some of our students are not always emotionally able to access all of the curriculum and therefore require an increased level of support in order for them to access a more enriching experience at school.

As an ELSA, Lee’s aim is to enable effective learning, help students to feel safe in their environment and be both socially and emotionally ready to learn. It is necessary to understand the importance of holistic development and offer nurturing and enriching experiences to enable the development of the whole child.

Any member of staff can fill in the request form simply by going to the forms page on the staff intranet and finding the Request for involvement form. 

This will be achieved through:

  • Planning and delivering individualised programmes of support for students to develop their emotional literacy, including:
    • Awareness of their own and other people’s emotions
    • Development of an increased range of emotional vocabulary
    • Management of stress, grief, anxiety, anger and conflict
    • Development of social interaction and friendship skills
    • Promotion of a realistic self-concept and good self-esteem
    • Coping with significant life changes including loss and bereavement
  • Plan and deliver programmes of support to small groups of students to develop resilience skills
  • Write succinct session plans and add subsequent evaluative comments
  • Liaising with teachers and the class team about the needs and progress of students receiving ELSA support plus share knowledge and ideas from training/supervision sessions with other school staff as appropriate
  • Liaising with parents in line with school policy

Aims:

  • Encourage the development and maintenance of positive social relationships with both peers and adults.
  • Provide opportunities to explore and understand the emotions a student may experience,  developing a student’s self-worth, confidence, motivation, trust, self-esteem and adaptability.
  • Provide a safe, calm and nurturing environment, alongside a programme of activities structured to the emotional, social and intellectual needs of each student.
  • Support pupils to understand their behaviour as a form of communication; that some behaviours may have a negative consequence and to work with students to develop strategies to self-regulate their emotions and anxieties.