Supporting pupils’ emotional wellbeing through ELSAs

We recently celebrated the inaugural cohort of graduates from the Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSA) programme, an educational psychology-led intervention that promotes the emotional wellbeing of children and young people in schools.

Teaching staff from Millwood and Bury Grammar School, as well as Light Oaks Primary, Moss Valley Primary and Ellesmere Park High in Salford, joined Dr Catherine Kelly from Bury’s Community Educational Psychology Team and Wendy Young, Head of SEND and Inclusion at Bury Council, to mark their achievement.

Handing out certificates to the newly accredited ELSAs, Wendy said:
“I am delighted to be here to congratulate you all on graduating from the ELSA programme. Increasing the number of school-based ELSAs provides powerful and meaningful support to our young people in schools and makes a great contribution to improving the emotional health and wellbeing of our children.”

The ELSA programme is designed to build the capacity of schools to meet pupils’ emotional needs from within their own resources. It is open to teaching assistants and other staff and delivered through six days of training by Bury Community Educational Psychology Service (CEPS) in partnership with Salford Educational Psychology Service. Training is followed by half-termly supervision sessions and covers topics such as emotional literacy, social skills, loss and bereavement, self-esteem and trauma-informed practice.

Feedback from children, families and ELSA graduates has been overwhelmingly positive. Pupils have said, “the ELSA sessions have helped me manage my emotions better,” and “it’s helped me to learn that it’s okay to ask for help and support.” Parents have also reported that their children are coping more effectively in school and everyday life and are learning useful strategies to manage emotions and stress.

The next set of ELSA training sessions will begin on 15 January 2026 at Broughton Hub, 50 Rigby Street, Salford (M7 4BQ).

For further details or to register, contact: [email protected]
Find out more at ELSA Network – Emotional Literacy Support Assistants.
For further info on the ELSA training program please see this resource: Salford EPS ELSA Poster 25-26