Emotional Literacy
Supervision & Training

The Emotional Literacy Support Assistant project was designed to build capacity in schools to support the emotional needs of their pupils from within their own resources. It promotes the idea that children and young people learn better when they are emotional needs are recognised and supported. Our ELSA training is for teaching assistants and staff in school who want to develop and deliver emotional literacy support programmes for pupils who may be struggling to understand, identify and manage their emotions.

The ELSA project is led by Educational Psychologists and is evidence based. Educational Psychologists Elinor Kelly and Cate Wilkes have over 12 years’ experience delivering and developing ELSA training and also providing ongoing supervision for ELSAs. We provide high-quality training and work with a committed group of Educational Psychologists to support and nurture our ELSAs.

For more information on the ELSA project please visit

www.elsanetwork.org

ELSA Training

The ELSA training six-day course is delivered by Elinor Kelly and Cate Wilkes who are Educational Psychologists registered with the ELSA Network. It is suitable for staff working in primary, secondary, and special schools. The training course is divided up into modules grounded in psychological theories, current research, and evidence-based strategies. The course content includes:

• The ELSA project and Emotional Literacy in schools
• Building Resilience – self-esteem and friendship skills
• Guidance on getting started, target setting, session planning, and ELSA systems
• Bereavement, Grief, and Loss
• Understanding and Managing Strong Emotions
• Therapeutic Stories
• Social stories
• Introduction to Autism
• Group work e.g. friendship groups
• Creating and working with a range of resources including puppets and games
• An information session for ELSA line managers

The course costs £750 per ELSA and includes tea/coffee and a course folder containing PowerPoint notes, information, and a wealth of resources.

Our training venues are based within West Berkshire, and we require a minimum of 20 ELSAs to run training.

Our next 6-day training will start in Term 1 (September 2025). To find out more or register your interest please contact us hello@hiveepa.com.

ELSA Supervision

It is essential that ELSAs access termly supervision from an Educational Psychologist in small groups. The Educational Psychologists who supervise these groups are all experienced in delivering ELSA supervision.

ELSA supervision enables ELSAs to maintain their qualifications and develop their skills, knowledge, and understanding. Ongoing supervision following initial training is required to maintain the ELSA accreditation. We offer ELSA supervision to groups of 6-8 ELSAs. Supervision takes place every half term for 2 hours and the cost per ELSA for a year (6 supervision session) is £280.