“This is the most relaxing environment I’ve ever been in.” AT The Bus student 2024
As the school year draws to a close and the country welcomes a new government we are pleased to share with you our growth and successes this academic year. With one in five young people now estimated to have a mental health disorder, the need for our work has never been more urgent and there remain very few options for accessing support. We are therefore pleased to report that we have been able to continue to grow the impact of our work significantly this year – reaching more children and young people than ever using The Beattie Method, a therapeutic, small group, art-based intervention, provided on school sites and during school time. This academic year we have:
This means we have reached over 2,000 children and young people since our first school partnership in 2019.  Artwork by a student at Lord Williams’s School, inspired by Picasso |
Our work in schools this year
We now have nearly 20 staff working in schools and supporting many wonderful art projects each day. Here is a taste of just a few of them:
 Artwork inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream by a student at The Cherwell School |
Demand from schools continues to grow so we have been working hard to build capacity to support more children and young people in more schools next year: Our new training programme is led by Juli Beattie, founder of The Beattie Method, and supported by our experienced managers Sarah, Rhea and Angela. Ten new trainees joined us for the summer term for a mixture of weekly classroom-based learning alongside time spent in sessions with children and young people. They will join us in the autumn to support growth into new settings. We are delighted to have been awarded a substantial grant from the Oxfordshire Community Foundation to improve our digital infrastructure – a new website will be in use from the autumn and we are making significant improvements to our processes which will improve efficiency and provide a strong platform for further growth.  Family group workshop at Barlby Primary School |
Fundraising update For a small charity the fundraising work never stops and with the current tough financial climate competition for grants is very high. We are therefore especially delighted to report that we are on track to hit our target to raise income of £550,000 this year, and are now building on the many generous grants and donations that we have received to secure funding for delivery in 2024 and beyond. Our highest-profile fundraising event was Art for AT The Bus– an auction hosted at Sotheby's and using the Artsy digital platform. We are so grateful to the 34 artists who so generously donated work, to our generous sponsors, to the volunteers who worked so hard on the event, and of course to everyone who so very kindly bid and paid for each piece of artwork.   Art for AT The Bus at Sotheby’s; AT The Bus patron Grayson Perry speaking at the event |
Heartfelt thanks to the artists: Emma Alcock, Tom Astley, Oliver Barratt, Chila Kumari Burman Emmie Van Biervliet, Rob & Nick Carter, Rosannagh Scarlett Esson, Jennie Foley, Jelly Green, Maggi Hambling, Thomas Heatherwick, Simon Hitchens, Patrick Hughes, Penelope Madden, Patrice Moor, Polly Morgan, Tobias Munthe, Angela Palmer, Rose Palmer, Martin Parr, Grayson Perry, Philippa Perry, Peter Randall-Page, Veronica Ryan, Jenny Saville, Bob & Roberta Smith, Kieran Stiles, Lisa Swerling, Anthony Turner, Paul Vanstone, Joanna Vestey, Lisa Wright, Yunus & Eliza, and Tony Thomson. Huge thanks to our sponsors: Ward Moretti Art, Gallagher, Hiscox, Fine Art Restoration Company, Bordeaux Index, OhLaLa Macarons, Astera Media, Franks & Franks and Ropes & Gray LLP. Other fundraising activity and successes this year have included: In May, we were delighted when our ongoing collaboration with Columbia Threadneedle won the Best Partnership with a Children’s Charity award at the Better Society Awards. Columbia Threadneedle have been instrumental in supporting our development since 2018, providing advocacy and support. A postcard sale at the North Wall Gallery in Oxford in January, which was a wonderful chance to connect with over 50 artists and come together with many old and new friends of the charity. Thank you to everyone who supported this event. A small group of runners supported AT The Bus for the annual Blenheim Fun Run. This was a joyous event on a sunny day, and a chance to join other local charities in a beautiful setting raising money for good causes. We plan to make this an annual event in our calendar along with other challenge events please contact info@atthebus.org.uk to be kept informed of future opportunities. We are extremely grateful for the support of our current funders: The Clore Duffield Foundation, The Columbia Threadneedle Foundation, Doris Field Charitable Trust, Ewelme Exhibition Endowment Fund, The Foyle Foundation, The Helen Roll Foundation,The Max Kohler Foundation, Outset Contemporary Art Fund, Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council, The Prudence Trust, Project Spark, Pye’s Charitable Settlement, The Rayne Foundation, The Robert McAlpine Foundation, Step Change, The Sudborough Foundation and The Arts Society Oxford. Our annual accounts for 2023 (January to August) are now available on the Charity Commission website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission |
Plans for 2024/25 In 2024/25 we expect to work in over 12 schools. In the autumn four new schools will join our family: The Oxford Academy – a large secondary school in the Blackbird Leys area of Oxford Queens Park Primary in West London Cubitt Town Primary in Tower Hamlets, London and as part of our ongoing partnership with AllChild (previously called West London Zone) we will be working next term in Ark Brunel Primary and Nursery in North Kensington. Discussions are ongoing with a number of additional schools in both Oxfordshire and London and we expect to expand further over the year. All in all, it has been a hugely successful year for AT The Bus and we would like to take this opportunity to thank our supporters, school partners and AT The Bus staff and wish everyone a wonderful summer break.
With all best wishes, Juli and Maggie |