You join us on the hottest day of the year so far. The reflective blinds have been pulled across the piazza roof creating a shaded, cocoon like feeling to the usually bright, light filled atrium. Classroom doors and windows have been opened wide allowing any gentle breeze there is to wind its way inside. The air is filled with the gentle hum of fans keeping pupils and staff cool on this balmy June afternoon.
Spend time in any school and you will quickly feel the rhythm and pace of the days and weeks. At Atelier 21, back to back lessons give way to breaks and lunch times intermixed with gentle walks through the park to the K2 leisure centre for PE and swimming lessons, trips out on the minibuses to explore the local community or visits to places of interest. This all adds to the rich learning environment which extends far beyond the walls of the school … it’s hard to imagine how they fit everything in!
Somehow at Atelier 21 there is always space for more … more relevance, more meaning, more joy … more creativity, more self-directed learning, more wellbeing … it feels like a skilfully choreographed dance meeting the pupils where they are and leading them to places they are yet to imagine or discover.
With core pillars at the focus, the curriculum expands to encompass project-based learning and Wild Fridays – when the whole of the lower school learns outdoors all year and in all weathers. They are periodically joined by the upper school pupils to immerse themselves in their environment and foster interactions between the age groups where all pupils benefit. Taking things further, pupils are immersed in applied entrepreneurial learning to run school businesses for the annual business fair. Then we have peer mentoring, ambassador training and committee meetings, democratic practices, understanding and embodying learning dispositions and capabilities, pupils as young as 4 conversant in the difference between learning mode and performance mode as well as the language of metacognition … and somehow, with all of this integrating with core subjects and foundations of learning, the school feels busy and relaxed, focused, fun and friendly – while remaining at the cutting edge of educational innovation.
It is Wednesday afternoon and time for the lower school pupils to engage in another extraordinary set of fun learning experiences with far reaching educational impact. Leaving their classrooms and year groups behind for the afternoon, the pupils from Year 2 – 6, mix and mingle together to engage in interdisciplinary workshops. Running throughout the academic year, pupils rotate around the different workshops each half term. The workshop topics currently include board games, art, filming and the performing arts.
Wandering around the corridors, in an out of the classrooms where the workshops take place, there is a dynamic air to the school. Beginning in the Kahlo classroom, one group of pupils is playing a game of Monopoly Millionaire while another pair create their own board game and design a show to present alongside it. Ben, the teacher running the workshop, who can normally be found orchestrating the school wide PE programme, shares: “the idea is for them to design their own games, but some of the pupils don’t play them at home, so by using Monopoly they get to learn what makes a game work or not.”
Watching the game progress, a moment of light tension arises amongst the group, a challenge to the rules they are using “what do the rules of the game say?” asks Ben, “ok, and have you all agreed to play by those rules or did you agree different rules?” The pupils swiftly resolve the challenge between them, all engaging in a discussion about agreements they made and how to communicate better to uphold or challenge them. As a model for life, this spontaneous moment in a game provides a case study and opportunity to recognise and practice skills such as conflict resolution, communication, negotiation and more, that the pupils will rely on throughout life.
“We’ve finished our game and want show you our performance Ben,” two Year 2 pupils call from the other side of the room. Moving closer to them, Ben asks “does your game have rules this time? The last game was great but we had no rules to tell us how the game worked?” Excitedly, the pupils begin to explain and share their show reviewing what they could change for next time.
Through the classroom windows you see more pupils with Katie, another staff member, in the playground. Watching, you see them clustered in groups some moving around the space filming with the school iPads, others focused on storyboarding or reviewing and editing their work. Having developed their skills and planned their projects, the pupils are now putting their learning into action by creating their filmed pieces.
In the distance, echoes of the performing arts group travel through the corridors. Moving into the piazza, the oval cocoon created by the shade of the roof blinds is a cosy, creative space for performing. Here a large group of pupils are gathered with Becs, the Reception teacher, who is working with them to finalise, rehearse and prepare for the imminent performance of the end of year show.
Consistent with the Atelier 21 model of education, the musicals were chosen democratically by the pupils. The final vote lead to the ‘Magic of the Musicals’, a medley of their three favourites – Shrek, Frozen and Annie. Their choice, fuelled by passionate debates, encompasses the unique messages and themes of each musical, reflecting the diverse interests and talents of the pupils and highlights the core values of Atelier 21 – respect, collaboration, creativity and resilience.
Having taken on such an ambitious and creative musical medley of shows, the pupils excitedly share the roles they have adopted. Every pupil will be performing multiple parts requiring lines, songs and costumes! There is an air of concentrated excitement as the anticipation builds and the preparation falls into place. The evening will be a celebration of their hard work and creativity, coupled with a testament to the power of democracy and the magic of choice.
Leaving the piazza via the winding curved staircase past the ‘Atelier reading trees’, up to the first floor, displays of pupils’ work line the walls. Each display shares the journey to create the work juxtaposed with the outcomes and their personal reflections on how they could have used their learning powers and dispositions differently to create or refine their work.
The first-floor balcony overlooking the piazza provides another vantage point for the school. Across the landing open classroom doors give glimpses into the quiet, focused classes of the upper school as they pursue and reflect upon the next stages of their learning. Peering over the balcony rail, the lower school pupils preparing for the school show move about the space trying on costumes, discussing their parts and rehearsing their lines and songs.
Entering the atelier, the room is abuzz with groups of pupils exploring weaving techniques and materials. One group eagerly explains: “We used different colours of paper and cut them into strips, then we all decided to weave them in a way to create a colour gradient, from light to dark.” Sitting with the group, a new face openly shares that they are at the school for a taster day, “it’s going well” she shares, “it’s very different to the school I have been at but in a really good way. It is much more fun and I understand why we are doing what we are doing. I like how friendly it feels and I have new friends here already. Her words echoe those of many pupils new to the school who find they are accepted, welcomed and quickly integrated by the existing pupils.
As the afternoon draws to a close and the sun begins to dip, a sense of accomplishment permeates Atelier 21. The day’s workshops have enriched the pupils’ academic understanding and fostered invaluable life skills within a deep sense of community. From the spirited discussions over Monopoly strategies to the creative endeavours of filmmaking, performing arts and weaving, each activity has underscored the school’s commitment to holistic, immersive education. Teachers and pupils alike share a mutual respect and joy in learning that is uniquely Atelier 21.
In this dynamic environment, every Wednesday becomes a testament to the school’s philosophy of integrating creativity, self-directed learning, and well-being into the core of education. With each workshop, the pupils learn academic content and craft skills and attitudes that will serve them throughout their lives. Atelier 21 is not just preparing pupils for exams but for the challenges and opportunities of life itself.
As the pupils head home, their minds buzzing with new ideas and their hearts full of camaraderie, it’s clear that Workshop Wednesdays are more than just a break from routine; they are a vital part of the tapestry that makes Atelier 21 a beacon of innovative, inclusive education. The school day may be ending, but the lessons and memories forged today will resonate long into the future, shaping the confident, creative and compassionate individuals who will one day lead and inspire in their own right.
