Air Tattoo helps Gloucestershire school obtain mental health support

A Gloucestershire primary school has received mental health support for their pupils, thanks to a donation from the Royal International Air Tattoo.

Kempsford Primary school was able to use the money from the RIAT to secure the support for the rest of the school year. The RIAT is located in the neighbouring town to the school.

Emotional Literacy Support Assistants, are now available to all pupils at Kempsford Primary, with uptake increasing since it was first offered in 2022.

The headteacher, Mrs Seward, said the programme helps the children with a variety of issues in their life ranging from bereavement to anxiety.

“The sessions are specific to the needs of the children or group of children. They provide the children with time with a friendly, supportive adult that they trust,” she said.

“It enables them to have time to discuss the focus and together build strategies towards their target."

“ELSA can be as a result of something instant such as family death or a situation that is ongoing."

“Without these sessions many of the children would feel they are not being listened to and their ability to manage the situation would become difficult and can result in unwanted behaviour."

“The main challenge is providing the funding to pay someone's wages to do it. Without the grant provided ELSA would have had to have stopped at February half term."

“The trained ELSA goes above and beyond to see as many children as possible in one day but this is not always possible so the second challenge is time."

The organisers of the RIAT, The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust Enterprises, made the donation. They have also pledged support to other local causes.

• gloucestershire schools