Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSAs) are Emotional Literacy Support Assistants. They are teaching assistants who have received specific additional training from educational psychologists from whom they receive on going supervision following training. Their role is to support children and young people in school to understand and regulate their own emotions whilst also respecting the feelings of those around them.

At Downsway, three of our teaching assistants are trained ELSAs - Mrs Holder, Mrs Preston and Mrs Saunders.

What is emotional literacy?

• Understanding and coping with feelings about ourselves and others
• Developing high self-esteem and positive interactions with others
• Being emotionally literate helps children focus better on their learning

Some of the areas the ELSA may work on:

• Recognising emotions
• Social skills
• Friendship skills
• Anger management
• Loss and bereavement

How does ELSA work?

• A regular slot during the school week 20-30 minutes
• Sessions can be individual or in small groups and tailored to the child’s individual needs
• Sessions are fun and might include role-play, puppets, board games, art and craft and stories
• They include time to talk
• A pupil’s progress will be reviewed on a half-termly basis