WELCOME!

Hello and welcome to our dedicated page for our school's emotional support for learning.

We are pleased to be able to share information with parents about Emotional Learning Support on the school website. On this page we aim to post ideas and helpful advice on how you can help your child; for example in areas such as empathy, self esteem or perhaps to pick up some tips about calming techniques. Parents and carers will be able to find out about recommended books which may be useful and links to other websites for some self-help at home.

We know that things have been very difficult for parents and children recently, so we'll always be here to help as much as we can.

Our dedicated member of staff is:  Mr N Atkins

How do we support learning?

There will always be children and young people in schools facing life challenges that detract from their ability to engage with learning. Some will require greater support to increase their emotional literacy than others. 

The majority learning support work is delivered on an individual basis, but sometimes small group work is more appropriate, especially in the areas of social and friendship skills. Sessions are fun, we use a range of activities such as: games, role-play with puppets or therapeutic activities such as mindfulness or arts and craft.  Sessions take place in our very own 'emotional learning suppport room' which provides a calm, safe space for the child to feel supported and nurtured.

In emotional learning support we aim to provide support for a wide range of emotional needs:

Recognising emotions
 Self-esteem
 Social skills
 Friendship skills

 Anger management
 Loss and bereavement

How does it work?

Children are usually referred for support by their class teacher, Senior Leaders or on occasion the SENCo. Every half term Mr Atkins meets with members of the school leadership team to discuss the referral forms and to identify and prioritise which children require a weekly programme for the next half-term. With the programme aims in mind we then plan support sessions to facilitate the pupil in developing new skills and coping strategies that allow them to manage social and emotional demands more effectively.

Supporting - not fixing

Remember, these sessions are not there to fix children's problems. What we can do is provide emotional support.

We aim to establish a warm, respectful relationship with a pupil and to provide a reflective space where they are able to share honestly their thoughts and feelings.

It needs to be appreciated that change cannot necessarily be achieved rapidly and is dependent upon the context and complexity of the presenting issues. For children with complex or long-term needs it is unrealistic to expect this intervention to resolve all their difficulties, however support will be designed to target specific aspects of a child's need.

When issues are beyond the level of expertise that could reasonably be expected by our dedicated member of staff, school can direct and supports parents with referrals for specialist counselling, play therapy or to CAMHS.