ELSA-Emotional Literacy Support

At Hermitage, we have an ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant). Our ELSA works with children on a range of different aspects to support mental health and emotional well-being. These include:

• Self-esteem
• Friendships
• Feeling anxious
• Bereavement
• Emotions

How do children access ELSA?

If teachers feel that a child would benefit from ELSA, they will speak to the SENCo, then the SENCo or class teacher will speak to the parent about ELSA. Once parents have given consent, the teacher will then fill out a referral form and give it to our ELSA.

If a parent is concerned about their child and feels that they would benefit from emotional literacy support, they can talk to the class teacher or the SENCo. They will then discuss if ELSA is appropriate for your child and a referral will be made.

There are times when children may receive some ad-hoc ELSA support, for example, if children have friendship issues. However, these sessions are not a typical ELSA session.

What happens after the referral?

Once a referral has been made to our ELSA, we will plan when the child will access this support. It may not happen straight away, as each child has a block of 6 weeks and therefore it will depend on:

• 1. Who is already receiving ELSA
• 2. The current waiting list

Once your child starts ELSA, we will inform parents of progress.

Further support

If you would like to read more about ELSA, please visit the website click here