At Parson Street, we know that children are best able to learn, achieve and thrive when they feel safe, secure, understood and supported. Children’s wellbeing is therefore at the heart of our approach, and we are proud to offer a strong and responsive pastoral provision designed to meet the individual needs of our children and families.
Our dedicated Pastoral Lead, Karen Cousins, plays a central role in this work. Karen works closely with children, families and staff to monitor and track children’s wellbeing, identify emerging needs and ensure that the right support is put in place at the right time. Through strong relationships and regular communication, we aim to identify difficulties early and provide support before they become barriers to a child’s wellbeing, engagement or learning.
We offer a range of targeted pastoral interventions and support, tailored to the needs of individual children. These may focus on areas such as emotional regulation, self-esteem and confidence, friendships and social skills, anxiety, resilience, bereavement and loss, transitions, family change and other challenges that children may experience. Support may be delivered individually or in small groups and is carefully matched to each child’s needs.
Our pastoral provision is rooted in the belief that every child deserves to feel known, valued and supported. By working closely with children and their families, and by providing nurturing, timely and targeted support, we aim to help every child develop the emotional wellbeing, confidence and resilience they need to thrive both in school and beyond.
Emotional Literacy Support (ELSA)
As part of our strong pastoral offer at Parson Street, we are very fortunate to have our own trained Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA), Maria Eccles. Maria works with identified children across the school, providing carefully planned, targeted support to help them understand and manage their emotions, develop confidence and build the skills they need to thrive.
ELSA is a recognised approach designed to support children’s emotional development and wellbeing. Through individual or small-group sessions, children may receive support with areas such as understanding and regulating emotions, building self-esteem, developing friendships and social skills, managing anxiety, coping with change, loss or bereavement, and developing resilience.
ELSA sessions provide children with a safe, nurturing and supportive space in which they can talk, reflect and learn practical strategies. Support is tailored to each child’s individual needs and is designed to help them develop skills that they can use independently in school and beyond.
At Parson Street, we recognise that children learn best when they feel safe, understood and emotionally secure. Our ELSA provision forms an important part of our wider commitment to ensuring that every child receives the support they need to feel confident, connected and ready to learn.