The ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) intervention was originally developed within Southampton, then Hampshire, by Sheila Burton, Educational Psychologist. It was designed to build the capacity of schools to support the emotional needs of their pupils from within their own resources. This is achieved by training teaching assistants to develop and deliver individualised support programmes to meet the emotional needs of children and teenagers in their care. It recognises that children learn better and are happier in school if their emotional needs are also addressed. This intervention is now widely supported by educational psychologists across Britain.
Miss Maud, our trained ELSA Support Assistant, identifies children who would benefit from ELSA sessions and sets one to one and small group sessions during the week in a safe, quiet area of the school with our Pastoral Support Assistant, Mrs Nowell.