We are proud to offer the ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) programme as part of our commitment to supporting the emotional wellbeing of our pupils. The programme is designed to help children understand and manage their emotions, build resilience and develop healthy social skills.

At Lady Bankes, we are incredibly lucky to have four members of staff who are fully trained ELSAs. They work closely with individual pupils and small groups in a safe, supportive environment, focusing on areas such as emotional awareness, self-esteem, friendships and coping strategies. 

The ELSA's at Lady Bankes are:

 - Mrs Cresswell 

 - Mrs Bennison

 - Mrs Ellmore

 - Miss Barnes

Each ELSA programme runs over six weekly sessions, tailored to meet the specific needs of the child. These sessions are engaging, interactive and most importantly, built on trust and understanding. The sessions are fun and include activities like role-play, games, reading books, arts and craft and therapeutic activities such as mindfulness. 

ELSA aims to support a wide range of emotional needs including:

- Recognising emotions

- Anxiety

- Self-Esteem

- Social Skills

- Anger management

- Loss and bereavement

Supporting not fixing

It needs to be appreciated that an ELSA's job is to support the children not to fix their problems. While emotions can not be fixed, they can be recognised and talked about in a child-friendly way, helping children make sense of what they feel.  It also needs to be recognised that change cannot necessarily be achieved rapidly and is dependent upon the complexity of the presenting difficulties. 

If you would like to know more about the ELSA programme or think your child might benefit, please feel free to get in touch with your child’s class teacher.