Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) cost to the public purse and (b) value of Emotional Literacy Support Assistants.

Information on the number of emotional literacy support assistants (ELSAs) or the costs to schools is not collected centrally.

The department collects information on staff working in state funded schools in England via the annual School Workforce Census but does not directly identify ELSAs. The results are published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.

It is important that schools have the freedom to decide what support to offer pupils based on their particular needs, and drawing on an evidence base of effective practice. We are aware that some schools make effective use of ELSAs and report positive impacts as part of their wider provision to support the emotional wellbeing of children and young people.