Responding to an urgent crisis in childrens’ mental health, AT The Bus provides therapeutic sessions, using art and creativity, to support pupils with complex needs. Weekly group sessions provide powerful opportunities to build self-esteem, confidence and independence.
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There is a well-documented crisis in children’s wellbeing, exacerbated over recent years by the Covid pandemic and the cost of living crisis. One in five children and young people have poor mental health and many struggle to engage in school (NHS Digital 2024). The services which could provide support are overwhelmed, with long waits and high thresholds for access to Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). There is little other school-based provision.
Our vision is to support the wellbeing of every child and young person so that they can thrive at school and beyond. We do this by delivering weekly art-as-therapy sessions to groups of children in schools. Through art-making and talking and eating together, we provide respite from an increasingly busy world and support children to build their self-esteem, make friends, solve problems together and elevate their sense of wellbeing, which is fundamental to their ability to learn.
