Mental Health & Wellbeing
There will always be children and young people in schools facing life challenges that detract from their ability to engage to their potential with learning. We want to ensure that children feel happy in school. and to reach their potential socially, emotionally and academically. We understand the barriers to learning that some children might have and can help them. Some children may require greater support to increase their emotional literacy than others. At Arnesby School we take pride in this being a high priority, to ensure that children are ready to learn.
We help manage rather than fix children’s problems. We provide emotional support and aim to establish a warm, respectful relationship with a pupil and provide a reflective space where they can share their thoughts and feelings honestly without judgement.
ELSA sessions take place in our learning lodge which provides a calm, safe space for the child to feel supported and nurtured ensuring that we can offer the very best to our children.
ELSA’s are trained to support children in a range of areas, including:
- Self Esteem to allow every child to shine
- Behaviour and communication
- Anger management tools
- Social Skills
- Loss and Bereavement support
- Understanding Emotions
- Bullying and speaking out
- Anxiety management tools
- Conflict resolution
Most ELSA work is delivered on an individual basis, but sometimes group work is more appropriate, especially in areas of friendship and social skills. Children are usually referred for ELSA support by School Senior Leadership or SENDCo.
ELSA intervention is a short term focus intervention with clear aims. Pupils are prioritised and a programme of 6-8 weeks, (usually half a term), facilitates the pupil in developing new skills, tools and coping strategies that allow them to manage social and emotional demands more effectively. we like to make this measurable so the school knows the child has made progress and this intervention has been successful. A review after the programme allows children to reflect on their own progress, see if there are any next steps and celebrate their successes.
Mrs. Nikki Spencer- Parkes is our trained ELSA. Nikki has followed a training programme delivered by Educational Psychologists at Psychology 360 and has completed this successfully which forms the basis of theory and practical aspects of the sessions. ELSAs are trained and regularly supervised by Educational Psychologists. It is important that this ELSA work is within the scope of practice and only covers things that she has been trained to cover. Nikki is kept up to date with resources and research through supervision sessions, as training and development of ELSA’s is an ongoing process.
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