ELSA

We are pleased to be able to share information with parents about Emotional Literacy Support on our school website.

On this page we aim to post ideas and helpful advice on how you children's wellbeing can be supported in areas such as empathy and self esteem or dealing with anxiety, concerns and developing and maintaining friendships.

What is ELSA?

An ELSA in a school is an Emotional Literacy Support Assistant. There is a recognised training course aimed specifically at Teaching Assistants or other specialist school roles. ELSAs are specialists with a wealth of experience of working with  children and young people. ELSAs are trained and regularly supervised by Educational Psychologists. The course tends to be 6 full days and covers many areas from emotional literacy to active listening.  At Ysgol Bryn Gwalia Ms Jo Wyatt, Mrs Maria Goodwin, Mrs Kai Edwards and Ms Becky Stamper are all qualified ELSA's

Unfortunately, there will always be children and young people in schools facing life challenges that detract in some way from their ability to engage with learning. 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.

In ELSA we aim to provide support for a wide range of emotional needs:

• Recognising emotions
• Anxiety
• Self-esteem
• Social skills
• Friendship skills
• Anger management
• Loss and bereavement