Miss. Stanton
Family Support Officer
Miss. Wild
Welfare Assistant
Say hello to our ELSA's!
At our school, we have two special grown-ups called ELSA’s!
ELSA stands for Emotional Literacy Support Assistant. That’s a long name, but it simply means they are here to help children understand their feelings and deal with worries or problems.
Miss Wild and Miss Stanton are kind, caring grown-ups who our pupils can talk to if something is bothering them. They are specially trained and work closely with Educational Psychologists, which means they know lots of ways to help children feel happier and more confident.
They might work with children on your own or in a small group. They can help them learn how to understand their feelings, manage big emotions, solve problems and feel calm and ready to learn.
Their job is to help children feel safe, happy and able to do their best during their time here at St. Paul’s!
A Dedicated ELSA Space...
We have started to run ELSA sessions, though finding it hard to fully engage and focus the children in the main school building, due to many distractions.
Having the right space to learn can make a big difference to how children feel in school. When a learning space is calm, welcoming and designed with children in mind, it helps them feel safe, relaxed and ready to learn.
We would love an ELSA space that is created especially for this reason giving us a pupil-friendly area where children can feel comfortable talking about their feelings and building their emotional skills.
When children feel at ease, they are better able to understand their emotions, solve problems and focus on their learning. This not only helps them in the classroom, but also supports positive friendships and a happy school community.
"Educational Psychologists talk about how important it is to have a safe, reliable, and nurturing environment for the sessions. This is particularly important where young people speak openly it is imperative that the area can remain confidential. Having a nurturing environment also fits with the ethos of ELSA, to open up and be vulnerable about feelings and be able to communicate them."
Dr. Vanessa Willis & Hannah Land
Staffordshire Educational Psychology Service
The impact of ELSA
In total, 9 headteachers and SENCOs completed a questionnaire, 7 experienced ELSAs attended the focus groups, and 22 young people were interviewed from 5 schools across the Staffordshire.
Consent was gained from all participants who were also provided with an information sheet which explained the rational for the research.
ELSA has had a positive impact on…
Our School Courtyard
We have an under-utilised internal courtyard space within the footprint of St. Paul’s, which we are currently fundraising to transform into our new ELSA classroom and sensory garden.
We would like the space to include some sheltered area so that our ELSA’s remain warm and dry, even during the worst of our British weather!
This exciting project would create a calm, welcoming environment where children can feel safe, supported and ready to talk. The space would provide a dedicated area for emotional support sessions, while the adjoining sensory garden will offer a peaceful outdoor extension designed to engage all the senses. Filled with a variety of plants, colours, textures and scents, the garden will give pupils the opportunity to explore, reflect and regulate their emotions in a natural setting.
Spending time in this space will help children feel more relaxed and settled, particularly if they are experiencing worry or overwhelm. By combining emotional support with the benefits of nature, we hope to nurture resilience, build emotional understanding and support pupils to return to their learning feeling calm, confident and ready to succeed.
Can you help us build something great?
If you are able to help, we would be incredibly grateful for any support to make this vision a reality at St. Paul’s. Contributions of outdoor buildings, materials, plants, flowers, or items such as planting beds would directly help us create a wonderful sensory garden and ELSA space for our pupils. All donations or offers of help can make a big difference and support the wellbeing of children in our school community.
If you would like to get involved or find out more, please do get in touch.
Your generosity and support would be very much appreciated.
A huge thanks for the support we've had so far! We have raised...
£600
