At Woodthorpe Infant School, we understand the importance of supporting with the emotional needs of our children. We have invested heavily in having many of our staff who are trained in a range of interventions including Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSAs), Theraplay and Lego Therapy. For example, our ELSAs have been trained by Educational Psychologists to plan and deliver programmes of support to pupils who are experiencing temporary or longer term additional emotional needs.

These interventions are delivered on either an individual basis or small group work.  Sessions are fun, using a range of activities such as games, role-play with puppets, or arts and crafts. They take place during the school day in a quiet place away from the classroom, which provides a calm, safe space for the child to feel supported and nurtured.

A further benefit of having so many ELSAs in our school is the ELSA-informed practices that take place in all of our classrooms when working with the entire class.

Our interventions provide support for a wide range of emotional needs:

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

Our interventions provide emotional support.  We aim to establish a warm, respectful relationship with the children and to provide a reflective space where they are able to share honestly their thoughts and feelings.