Here at Caversham Park Primary School, not only do we value a child's education, but also their emotional wellbeing and mental health.

At some time in our lives, we all experience difficulties and unfortunately, children are not immune to the same problems adults encounter.  In our school we recognise the need to support children through these difficult periods in their lives so that they can be mentally healthy and happy. 

Here at Caversham Park Primary School, all members of staff invest time in developing positive relationships between all children, staff and parents / carers in the school, as we recognise that relationships are key to helping children to feel safe and nurtured. We pride ourselves on our kind and nurturing ethos and our caring school community. 

What is Emotional Literacy?

Emotional literacy is the ability to understand, express, and manage your emotions, as well as understand and empathise with the emotions of others. It's a set of learnt social and emotional skills that can help individuals build resilience, improve communication, and navigate difficult situations. Being emotionally literate helps children focus better on their learning.

What is an ELSA?

An ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) is a specialist teaching assistant who has experience and training in supporting children in the development of their emotional literacy. They understand the barriers to learning that some children might have and can help them with this. An ELSA can support children's emotional development and help them cope with life’s challenges. ELSAs will also help children and young people to find solutions to problems they might have.

Miss Innes is our ELSA who works with Miss Ray, our Senior Mental Health Lead (SMHL) and teachers, including Mrs. Newbury (SENDCo), to identify pupils who could benefit from support and to set individual objectives for each child. Miss Innes then works individually with a pupil or in a small group, using activities targeted to each pupil's needs, which may fall into one of the following areas:

• Loss and bereavement
• Emotional Literacy
• Self-esteem
• Social Skills
• Friendship issues
• Relationships
• Managing strong feelings
• Anxiety and worries
• Bullying
• Conflict
• Emotional Regulation
• Growth Mindset
• Social and therapeutic stories
• Problem-solving

 How does an ELSA work?

ELSA intervention takes place as outlined here:

• A regular slot during the school week.
• In a quiet/private area.
• Depending on the child's needs, children work as an individual or in a small group.
• Sessions are fun and might include role-play, puppets, board games, art and crafts and stories.

ELSA support is delivered in a caring, supportive and fun way.  Miss Innes aims to help children find ways to cope with their challenges by helping them build the skills that will help them be able to cope and work through problems. A child’s progress is reviewed on a regular basis and operates as short-term focussed intervention with clear aims: lasting usually half a term to a full term in length.

Kindness Ambassadors

At Caversham Park Primary School we promote kindness in everything we do, and each class has an elected Kindness Ambassador who works with our Headteacher / SMHL, Miss Ray to spread kindness through the daily life of the school and in the classrooms. These Kindness Ambassadors are currently:

Kite Class - Chloe

Woodpecker Class - Ayshe

Owl Class - Isabelle

Heron Class - Dhruv

Robin Class - Arlo

Duck Class - Shaahar

For further information regarding organisations that support mental health, please visit:

NSPCC

School of Kindness