Welcome to our 2025 Spring Newsletter

“The partnership with AT The Bus has significantly enhanced the educational experience of our students… It has reduced anxiety and stress levels among our students, as evidenced by self-reports and teacher observations, and provided a more positive school atmosphere.”

Kate Miller, Head Teacher, The St Marylebone CE Bridge School

Work in progress this term

Growth and Partnerships

This academic year AT The Bus is delivering over 200 programmes to support 1,000 children and young people from 15 primary, secondary and special schools in Oxfordshire and London.

Using art as therapy, our weekly sessions support students who are struggling to attend and engage school to build self-esteem, confidence, resilience and independence.

We were pleased to extend into Alternative Provision (for young people unable to access school education) at The Cherwell School and ran a pilot programme with The Swan School, both in Oxford. We also set up studios at Cubitt Town Primary School in Tower Hamlets, and at Bevington Primary School in West London which is part of our ongoing partnership with AllChild. Our new studio at The Oxford Academy is now well embedded into the school and we are now providing a third day of sessions each week.

"This has definitely made me more confident in school. It's easier to talk in here but I think I can do it in bigger groups in the classroom now."

AT The Bus student

Artwork by a student at The Oxford Academy

Demand from schools continues to grow, driven by concern about young people’s wellbeing, school absence and attendance rates, and the need to support those with special educational needs. We are currently planning further expansion in September.

This continued growth requires a pipeline of skilled staff and we are pleased to have just completed recruitment for new therapeutic arts facilitators who will be joining us after Easter for The Beattie Method training programme, a mix of classroom-based learning about our unique way of working and on-the-job observation as part of existing teams.

This ongoing growth also requires us to generate additional income and so we are currently looking for a fundraising executive to join the team. Please see below for more details.

Frida Kahlo-inspired artwork, New Marston Primary School

Cubitt Town Primary, Tower Hamlets

“We have been working with AT The Bus for half a term and are already seeing the impact. A number of children who are routinely struggling in class at the moment, have thrived in the AT The Bus environment. Children have come out of the studio buzzing, with one child heard saying ‘this is the best day ever!’ after their first session. With the rapidly rising social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs in our community, AT The Bus is an incredibly valuable resource for some of our most vulnerable children.” 

 Nicky Pear, Deputy Head, Cubitt Town Primary School

We are delighted to have established a new studio at Cubitt Town Primary School in Tower Hamlets this term, our first partnership in East London.

Cubitt Town is a three-form entry local authority primary school with around 700 pupils serving the community on the Isle of Dogs. The majority of families are of Bangladeshi origin, with a broad range of children from other ethnic backgrounds. Pupil Premium and SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) numbers are well above the national average, and 67 per cent of children are classified as EAL (English as an Additional Language).

This new partnership has enabled us to pilot in-house AT The Bus facilitator training with Ferdousi who is also a teaching assistant at the school. Ferdousi attended Cubitt Town herself and her children also attend so she knows the school, its pupils, and their needs extremely well.

AT The Bus London Area Lead Rhea says: “it’s been a real joy to be working with such a wonderful school that is warm, loving and predictable for its pupils, in an area of real need. The children have been excited and curious about the new AT The Bus studio and could hardly believe they were allowed to take home their working self-portrait clocks!”

Self-portrait clock by a pupil at Cubitt Town

“Children who attend sessions are overwhelmingly positive about having a calm, supportive and nurturing space where they can talk and create, away from their usual classroom environment. Our parents have commented on the positive impact that AT The Bus sessions have had on their child's well-being, while teachers have noted the positive impact on pupil friendships as a result of attending sessions.”

Kerry Minion, Headteacher at Sandhills Primary School

Fundraising, Events and Other News

Our fundraising activity is always ongoing and the spring fundraising calendar is a busy one. Here’s what we have coming up.

Big Give Arts for Impact – donations doubled from 18-25th March

From midday on Tuesday 18th-25th March we will be taking part in Big Give Arts for Impact week. We are hoping to raise £12,000 from our campaign The Power of Art as Therapy to secure much-needed funding towards facilitator training and salary costs as we extend our programmes to reach many more children and young people. It's a great time to give as every pound donated through Big Give Arts for Impact will be generously match funded – providing twice the impact.

To have your donation doubled and help us provide valuable creative experiences to many more young lives, please visit our campaign page before midday March 25th.

Brand The Bus – vote for us! Entries close 31st March

We are taking part in Oxford Bus Company’s Brand the Bus competition! The prize package is worth £100,000 and includes a full wrap advertisement on a (working) double decker bus in Oxford, onboard and radio advertising!  We would love you to vote for us and encourage friends and family to do the same – voting takes just a few seconds and is very easy to do by visiting the voting page. Thank you for your support.

London Marathon –Sunday 27th April– support Tommy!

Tommy, a wonderful friend of AT The Bus, is busy training hard to run the London Marathon in support of AT The Bus. He is over halfway to his fundraising target – can you help him go further? You can follow Tommy’s training journey and donate at his campaign page.

Blenheim Fun Run – Sunday 18th May

A team of staff, friends and family of AT The Bus are fundraising by running the 7k Blenheim Fun Run on Sunday 18th May and we would love you to join us! Please get in touch on fundraising@atthebus.org.uk with the subject line Blenheim Fun Run if you would like to join the team. For details about how to sign up to run visit the Blenheim Fun Run website.

Work with AT The Bus

We are currently advertising for an exciting new part-time role as a Fundraising Executive who is passionate about our mission and holds some experience in fundraising and/or relationship-building. If you or someone you know is interested in applying, we would be delighted to hear from you. More information about the role and the skills we are looking for can be found on our website under ‘Careers & Volunteering’. Applications close on April 10th or sooner if we find the right candidate.

Volunteer with us

As the organisation grows, so does our need for volunteers with a range of skills, from assisting facilitators in sessions in our studios which requires a minimum time and training commitment, to volunteering just a few hours each term to trawl the charity shops for treasures for our studios, or supporting us with administration of fundraising events, there are many ways you can get involved. Please be in touch on info@atthebus.org.uk with the subject line ‘Volunteering for AT The Bus’ if you are interested in volunteering for us.

Do you have unwanted items for our students to recycle?

We are also always looking for unwanted objects in very good condition for our students to re-imagine – examples of these are small wooden coffee tables, wooden stools or chairs and un-chipped crockery such as teapots and plates. Please contact info@atthebus.org.uk if you have something you think we could use.

Colours mixed and named by students at St Marylebone CE Bridge Secondary School

Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter. We look forward to updating you with more news in the Summer Term and hope you have been inspired by some of the stories, images or events.

While our growth is strong, the fundraising landscape continues to be extremely tough for charities and every donation, no matter what size, really does make a difference. If you would like to make a donation, there are a range of options on our website including regular donations, which make the biggest difference to our sustainability.

Warm wishes,

Juli and Maggie

Donate Now

"This is helping me with my social anxiety, because when I am here I can talk to people.

Coming here it is easier to talk."

AT The Bus Student