OUR HISTORY
THE HISTORY OF AT THE BUS
AT The Bus was established in 2018 in recognition of the high level of need for school-based therapeutic support for children and young people. Initially working with 30 children in a single secondary school in Oxford, the charity has grown each year and now supports nearly 800 children each year from ten schools.
Our work is based on The Beattie Method, an innovative relationship-based group intervention developed by founder Juli Beattie OBE over four decades of collaborative practical experience and which was previously used by The Art Room charity (2002-18).
Some key milestones in the charity's development to date are:
December 2018
The charity is founded and a secondhand double decker bus purchased.
2019/20
Weekly sessions begin in a temporary space at The Cherwell school in Oxford while refurbishment begins on the bus.
2020/21
Sessions continue for vulnerable children during the pandemic. Mobile AT The Bus in a Box provision is rolled out into a number of Oxford primary schools.
2021/22
Refurbished bus in use as a studio space in Oxford, and other studios are established at Barlby Primary School in London and New Marston Primary School in Oxford.
2022/23
Growth continues with new studios at Greyfriars secondary school in Oxford and St Marylebone Bridge school in London. Formal evaluation by Oxford University begins. New joint CEO post established. Partnership with West London Zone (now AllChild) is established. Family workshops are piloted.
2023/24
More school partnerships are established and a new training programme is rolled out to enable greater impact and reach to more children and young people in need of support.
