Pastoral Provision

Pastoral Provision at Water Leys:

The Sensory Room, Counselling and ELSA

We have developed spaces in the school where our children are able to access pastoral support.

The Sensory Room

We have a dedicated sensory room. SEND pupils may, for example, have sensory time as part of their EHCP provision. Other pupils may just need a calming space, or a place they can go when they need additional support. The sensory room is an important part of our provision for pupils with additional needs. It is also used for lunchtime nurture and small group work.

Counselling in Cosy Corner

Mrs Dennison is our School Counsellor and Family Counsellor. From time to time we may identify pupils who need counselling. They may have encountered significant trauma such as bereavement or they might just need short-term support with their mental health. Mrs Dennison is commissioned through our SENCO, Mrs Marshall or through our Senior Leadership team.

ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support) in Cosy Corner

Our ELSA is Mrs Spencer.

What is ELSA?

The ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) intervention was originally developed within Southampton, then Hampshire, by Sheila Burton, Educational Psychologist. It was designed to build the capacity of schools to support the emotional needs of their pupils from within their own resources. This is achieved by training teaching assistants to develop and deliver individualised support programmes to meet the emotional needs of children and teenagers in their care. It recognises that children learn better and are happier in school if their emotional needs are also addressed. This intervention is now widely implemented by educational psychologists across Britain.

ELSA is an initiative developed and supported by educational psychologists, who apply their professional knowledge of children’s social and emotional development to areas of need experienced by pupils. They provide on-going professional supervision to help maintain high quality in the work undertaken by ELSAs, thereby helping to ensure safe practice for ELSAs and pupils alike.

Children are usually referred for ELSA support by their class teacher, Senior Leaders or the SENCO. They 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.

If you have any questions about ELSA. Please make an appointment with Mrs Marshall our SENCO.