What is Elsi?
Elsi is an AI-powered platform that helps UK schools support children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. It turns everyday classroom observations into actionable intelligence — helping teachers know what works for a child, SENCOs evidence it in formal documents, and schools catch problems early.
Why your observations matter more than you think.
Other staff might not know what you know.
You might know this child inside out. But the supply teacher on Friday won't. The TA covering your class next week won't. Your observation about what calms Jamie down during reading could be the thing that gets them through a difficult morning.
Your SENCO needs evidence.
Every observation you log is a piece of the evidence base for EHCP reviews and IEP targets. They won't need to chase you for updates — it's already there.
Patterns emerge across staff.
Elsi spots things no single person could see. When three people independently notice the same trigger, that's a signal. Your observation might be the one that completes the picture.
The profile becomes a living document.
Over time, the child's profile becomes a record of what works, what doesn't, and how things are changing. That helps the school see whether a child is improving or moving in the wrong direction — for individual children and across cohorts.
The more you log, the smarter the picture gets.
The "what works for this child" profile is built from real observations. The more there are, the sharper the picture, the better the next decision.
None of this happens without your observations. Elsi can only see what you choose to show it.
Three things you'll use most.
Three places in the app where most of the work happens.
The Noticing button
Fast capture in the app. Tap, type or speak what you saw, a few taps for context (where, when, how it felt), done. Most logs take about 15 seconds.
Ask Elsi
Type or speak a question about a specific child. Elsi knows what's been logged, what's been tried, and what's in the child's documents. Useful when you're stuck — answers come from real data about that child, not generic advice.
The child's profile
A short, plain-language summary called "What Elsi is noticing." It updates as observations come in from across the team. When a colleague logs that the visual timer worked yesterday afternoon, you see it on the profile this morning.
That last one is the point of the pilot. Your observations don't go into a void — they sharpen the picture for everyone working with that child.
What we're asking you to do.
We need real usage to know if Elsi works. Here's the deal — six small actions, most under 15 seconds. None of them are busywork; each one is what makes section 2 real.
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Use Elsi when you notice something.
A difficult transition, a breakthrough moment, a strategy that worked, a change in mood. Most logs take 15 seconds.
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Log anything out of the ordinary.
Really observe these children with fresh eyes — even if you feel you know them inside out. Small things matter: a brief moment of focus, a surprising calm, an unexpected trigger.
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Use the Noticing button.
It's the fastest way to capture an observation — three taps for context and you're back to the child.
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When a strategy helps, tell Elsi.
Tap "Something helped" and pick what worked. This is how the picture of what works for that child gets built.
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If you're unsure what to try, ask Elsi.
Open the chat and ask in plain language — "What should I try with Jamie during transitions?" The answer comes from real data about that child.
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Check the profile before working with a child you don't know well.
A 30-second read of "What Elsi is noticing" tells you what's been working, what's been tried, and what to watch for.
What this pilot does not ask of you.
- You don't need to write long reports.
- You don't need to check dashboards or analytics.
- You don't need to do anything extra at the end of the day.
- Just notice what you already notice, and take 15 seconds to capture it.
Getting the app.
Elsi is an iPhone app. During the pilot, you'll install it through Apple's TestFlight — this is how Apple lets people test apps before they go live on the App Store.
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Your school admin will send you a TestFlight invite link by email or message.
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If you don't already have TestFlight on your iPhone, the link will prompt you to download it free from the App Store.
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Open the invite link — it will open TestFlight and show Elsi as available to install. Tap Install.
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Elsi will appear on your home screen like any other app. Open it and you're ready to set up your account.
TestFlight apps update automatically. If we improve something during the pilot, you'll get the update without doing anything.
Setting up your account.
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You'll receive a 6-digit invite code from your school admin.
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Open Elsi, enter your email and the invite code, then choose a password.
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You'll be asked to set up two-factor authentication using an authenticator app (like Microsoft Authenticator). We'll walk you through it step by step.
That's it — you're in.
At the end of the pilot.
Send beta feedback through TestFlight. There's a "Send Beta Feedback" option built into TestFlight — tap and hold the app icon, or shake your phone while the app is open. Tell us what worked, what didn't, what was annoying, what surprised you. Honest, critical feedback is the most useful kind.
We may ask to interview you about your experience. Voluntary, confidential, and you can skip any question.
We'll share what Elsi learned about your school's SEND patterns (anonymised) — so you can see the value your observations created.
The research.
- We're studying whether AI-assisted pattern detection can improve early intervention for SEND children.
- We will analyse anonymised observation patterns — not your personal data.
- We may ask to interview you about your experience at the end of term.
- We may also ask you to collaborate with our academic research partner, University College London, on your experience with Elsi.
- Your participation is voluntary and you can withdraw at any time.
Privacy and safety.
Observations are about the child, not about you — this is not performance monitoring. No one sees how many observations you logged, and no one compares you to other staff. All data is encrypted and stays within the UK and EU. Child names are protected — only first names are used in AI processing, surnames are stripped. The school controls all data and can delete it at any time.
Questions?
If anything's unclear, or you want to flag something before you start — drop us a line.
We're a small team and we read every message.