Aimee Henderson is our (Emotional Literacy Support Assisitant) Intervention at Delamere School
At Delamere the main aim of the ELSA intervention with pupils is to provide support for a wide range of emotional needs taking into account any additional needs pupils already have. These include:
Through consistent, tailored intervention we hope to provide long term strategies for pupils and families to use in order to maintain and support the positive Mental Health and Well-Being of pupils within our school community.
Children are usually referred for ELSA support by their class teacher, Senior Leaders or Family Liaison Officer.
Every half-term I will meet with Barbara Telford, to discuss any referral forms and to identify and prioritise any children that may benefit from our weekly sessions for the next 6-8 weeks. As well as regular meetings with Barbara I will liaise with the class teacher to discuss impact or any need adaptations to sessions. Once needs are identified specific sessions are planned in relation to the needs of the child with the aim of teaching them new skills and coping strategies that allow them to manage social and emotional situation more effectively.
The majority of ELSA sessions are delivered on an individual basis, but sometimes small group work is more appropriate, especially in the areas of social and friendship skills. Sessions are fun, we use a range of activities such as: games, puppets, art and more structured/targeted work Emotion Specific. ELSA sessions take place in a calm, safe room for the child to feel relaxed and nurtured as well as offering a personalised approach to support.
Pupils have a pre- and post-assessment when receiving ELSA. This is used as a way of measuring the impact of the intervention and used as a way of identifying the need for further support. From this half-term we will be using a more thorough assessment through EXCEL that gives a more in-depth overview of need and progress.
From teachers’ feedback, pupils have made good progress and have demonstrated strategies learnt e.g., self-initiated time out, improved play skills and improved emotional understanding.
Some pupils have made more steady progress, but this has been identified as being an impact of the current Pandemic due to changes in routine, ability to see familiar people and fear of becoming ill. In this situation ELSA support has been adapted to include COVID specific support with the aim of providing understanding for the child and also to reduce anxiety.
