At The Purple Elephant Project, we partner with schools to help children and young people feel safe, understood and able to thrive, both inside and beyond the classroom.
We understand the increasing demands schools face around inclusion, safeguarding, attendance and emotional wellbeing. Our services are designed to strengthen your provision, support your staff and deliver measurable impact aligned with Ofsted priorities.
We see every partnership as a shared journey.
Our qualified therapists can deliver therapy directly within your school setting, reducing barriers to access and supporting pupils in a familiar environment.
Available outreach services include:
Some interventions, such as Theraplay and Filial therapy, take place at our Hub as they involve both child or young person and parent or carer together.
Small, structured groups for 6–8 children or young people designed to support:
These groups provide preventative support and strengthen inclusion across the school community.
We recognise that supporting a child or young person effectively often means supporting the family too.
Alongside pupil interventions, we offer:
This holistic approach strengthens the child or young person’s support network and creates more sustainable outcomes.
Supporting children and young people with complex needs can be emotionally demanding.
We offer structured reflective supervision and consultancy for staff, providing a safe space to:
We provide bespoke training tailored to your setting, including:
Our training strengthens whole-school understanding and builds sustainable internal capacity.
Schools working with us consistently report:
Our work supports schools in evidencing impact across personal development, inclusion and safeguarding priorities.
View our Schools information booklet here.
“We have worked in partnership with Purple Elephant Play Therapists to support the needs of key children in our school. Our children have greatly benefited from having a safe space and expert therapists to encourage them to share their thoughts through play. This has allowed our children to have a greater sense of security and self-esteem as well as to build trusting relationships. This is a valued part of our school offer.”
“We’ve seen a significant impact on our children’s emotional wellbeing and their ability to understand and regulate their feelings through the play therapy offered by The Purple Elephant Project. The sessions provide a safe, supportive space that benefits not only the children but also their families, helping them feel more confident and connected. Our therapist is always willing to listen and support us as staff too, offering thoughtful guidance whenever we’re facing challenges or need advice. It has been an incredibly positive and valued partnership for our school.”
“Purple Elephant’s therapy sessions are deeply valued by our children, who feel safe, understood, and supported through a flexible, child-centered approach delivered on our site. The therapist meets each young person exactly where they are, ensuring sessions feel comfortable, responsive, and effective. Their staff consultation sessions are equally invaluable, giving our team the opportunity to reflect, share ideas, and strengthen strategies to better support every child.”
“Our school has really enjoyed working with The Purple Elephant Project. The therapists are kind and approachable, and our children look forward to their sessions. These interventions have helped pupils feel more confident, listened to, and supported, and we have noticed a positive difference in their wellbeing and engagement with learning.”
“Since Purple Elephant began providing supervision to our staff, we’ve already noticed a meaningful difference. Working in a Pupil Referral Unit with pupils who have complex and challenging needs can be emotionally demanding, and the supervision has given staff a space where they genuinely feel heard, supported, and understood. Even at this early stage, it’s clear how much staff value the time to reflect and process their experiences in a safe and compassionate environment. The impact on wellbeing and morale has been really encouraging, and there’s a growing sense of confidence and resilience among the team. We’re grateful for the thoughtful and sensitive approach Purple Elephant brings to this work and are very pleased to be working with them.”
“This Is the second year that we have worked with professionals from the Purple Elephant project. We find them to be an invaluable resource at a time when so many families are struggling and just do not know which way to turn. At PEP the team have worked hard to match therapists that they think will complement certain cases for example one of their play therapists has supported two children with complex backgrounds in care, another a child in recovery from a serious childhood illness. We have also got some training built in later this year to support our whole staff with building their understanding of supporting children with ACEs/ trauma. One of the first things we do when setting our budget for the next year is to look for ways to ensure that we can keep PEP on board.”
