At Ordsall Primary School, we understand the importance of supporting children with their social, emotional and mental health, which is evident through the provision we have available in school.

Emotional Literacy Support Assistants

We have two Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSAs) that have the capacity to deliver over 30 hours worth of support to children each week. Our ELSAs have been trained by Educational Psychologists to plan and deliver programmes of support to children who are experiencing emotional needs.

These interventions are delivered on either an individual basis or through 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, typically in our dedicated ELSA room, which provides a calm, safe space for the child to feel supported and nurtured.

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

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

Child and Family Support Worker

We also employ a full-time Child and Family Support Worker, Mrs Debra Perry. One of Mrs Perry's roles is to work closely with children and families who may be experiencing difficulties. This could be as simple as a misunderstanding with friends, or it could be a more complex issue such as bereavement or a change in family circumstances. It may be that support is needed for a short while, or it could be a longer process.

The emotional welfare of our pupils is of the greatest importance, and we understand that any issues or difficulties that families are facing will also impact on our pupils. Therefore, having a Child and Family Support Worker enables these issues to be given the time and care needed to be sensitively and compassionately worked through together. We seek to break down the barriers to learning and help you to deal with challenges in a positive way, so that all children can be successful and make good progress.

Our Family Support Worker works with and supports families in different ways:

• Listening and appreciating the issues being faced by parents/carers.
• Offering suggestions and advice to individuals and families on behaviour management, boundaries, routines, school attendance, e-safety, mental wellbeing to name a few.
• Referring and signposting to other services available locally.
• Working with and supporting families during key school transitions.
• Working with families who are going through difficult times.
• Working with children on a 1:1 basis on a variety of aspects, such as anger management and control, key school transitions, development of self-esteem and confidence, friendship issues, and family issues.