Emotional Literacy Support Assistance
Here at Woodchester, we are lucky to have two ELSA workers who can support our children with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs.
Research into Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) has shown that stable, nurturing adult-child relationships and environments not only mitigate against exposure to adversity, but also help children and young people to develop the resilience required to flourish as adults.
The main of ELSA is to promote these stable, nurturing adult-child relationships and environments, whilst providing practitioners with the knowledge and skills to be a confident and effective 'key adult' for vulnerable children and young people.
How does ELSA benefit our school?
Children learn better and are happier in school if their emotional needs are also addressed. There has been consistent feedback from schools across the UK that the introduction of ELSAs has made a significant positive impact on the emotional wellbeing of children and young people and their ability to manage better at school — socially, emotionally and academically.
Mrs Boulton and Mrs Wilkins receive regular training from the Gloucestershire Educational Psychology service and are able to provide courses lasting 6-weeks for children who need support in any of these areas. Class teachers are able to make recommendations to the school SENCO/Headteacher on who may benefit from this.