Miss Knight is our family Link Worker and ELSA

 Mrs Pegg is our ELSA. 

Pastoral Support

At Westfield Infant school we strive to provide a learning environment where students can achieve and thrive. We aim to meet the social-emotional needs of the children, by providing pastoral support when required, to help develop the social and emotional skills they need to become resilient young people. Most of our staff have received emotion coaching training and this is used throughout the school.

We can also make referrals to:

• School Nursing Team 
• Early Help 
• CAMHS (mental health support)
• Mental Health Support Team (MHST)

Miss Knight and Mrs pegg are fully trained ELSA's who support children to maximize their future chances in life. They have been trained by Educational Psychologists to plan and deliver programmes of support to pupils who are experiencing short or longer term additional emotional needs. To keep their accreditation they attend supervisions with an Educational psychologist up to 6 times per year.

We aim to provide support for a wide range of emotional needs:

• Recognising and managing emotions
• Self-esteem
• Social skills
• Friendship skills
• Anger management
• Loss and bereavement
• Anxiety

Miss Knight is also Drawing and Talking Practitioner.

Drawing and Talking

Drawing and Talking is a therapeutic intervention for children and adults. It is designed as a short-term pro-active intervention intended to complement, rather than replace, the work of Specialist Mental Health Services. Through a 12-week cycle of sessions this non-intrusive tool allows children and young people to bring what they need to their sessions. Utilising drawing as a way to help them express their feelings differently in ordinary verbal language. The Drawing and Talking therapeutic approach allows individuals to discover and communicate emotions through a non-directed technique.

Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA)

What is ELSA?

There will always be children and young people in schools facing life challenges that detract from their ability to engage with learning. Some will require greater support to increase their emotional literacy than others. ELSA is an initiative developed and supported by educational psychologists. It recognises that children learn better and are happier in school if their emotional needs are also addressed.

The majority of ELSA work is delivered through individual sessions, but sometimes groupwork sessions are more appropriate. Sessions are fun using a range of activities such as: games, role-play with puppets or arts and craft.

How does ELSA work?

Children are usually referred for ELSA support by their Class Teacher, Senior Leaders or the SENDCo. Every half term, referrals are reviewed to identify and prioritise which children require a weekly programme for the next 6-8 weeks. With the programme aims in mind we then plan support sessions to facilitate the pupil in developing new skills and coping strategies that allow them to manage social and emotional demands more effectively.

Supporting - not fixing

Remember, ELSAs are not there to fix children's problems. What we can do is provide emotional support.

We aim to establish a warm, respectful relationship with a pupil and to provide a reflective space where they are able to share honestly their thoughts and feelings.

It needs to be appreciated that change cannot necessarily be achieved rapidly and is dependent upon the context and complexity of the presenting issues. For children with complex or long-term needs it is unrealistic to expect ELSA intervention to resolve all their difficulties, however support will be designed to target specific aspects of a child's need. 

How to access support

If you are worried about your child and would like to discuss any kind of pastoral/wellbeing support for your child please contact Miss Zoe Knight on 01455 637558.