Creative programme for Year 7-9 students finding school difficult

We know that school environments can be stressful for many young people, whether it’s the physical size, busy environment, uncomfortable uniforms, rigid structures, difficulties navigating social interactions or other reasons. This year, Croydon Council in partnership with A Collective are piloting a series of creative programmes to support Year 7, 8 and 9 students who are finding it difficult to attend and/or engage with school due to high anxiety, sensitivity and/or neurodivergence. Offering weekly no-pressure, supportive creative spaces, the programme will support young people to develop self-esteem, confidence and friendships, with an ultimate aim of improving wellbeing and access to wider support systems.

How it works

The programme offers term-time weekly sessions where young people can explore and be themselves alongside others. Facilitated by neurodivergent professional artists, young people will have the opportunity to take part in a wide range of creative activities decided with young people.

During autumn 2025 term, the programme is offering two strands:

Community Strand: open to all young people living in Croydon or registered with a Croydon school, meeting at Thornton Heath Library on Saturdays from 11:00-12:45pm
In-school Strand: open to Archbishop Tenison’s students, meeting after-school on Tuesdays

All sessions are designed to support young people to participate however they need to:

You are welcome to come and see if you like it before joining.
It’s ok to be late! We’d love to see you.
It’s ok to say ‘no’ – you only have to take part in activities if you want to. If you want to watch first and then try it out, that’s okay, too.
You don’t have to speak or work with others if you don’t want to, but you will have the chance to meet others if you like.
You don’t have to sit still or straight in your chair. We will all participate in the way most comfortable for us.
All art supplies will be provided, and you’ll be able to take them home to continue working on projects between sessions if you wish.
Parents/carers can stay in a room nearby, and young people can check in with them and re-join the group as needed.
All sessions are neuro-affirming, designed and delivered by neurodivergent artists from A Collective.

Who it’s for

The programme is open to young people living or registered with a school in Croydon who are finding attending or engaging with school challenging due to high anxiety, sensitivity and/or neurodivergence, regardless of current attendance status. This includes students who are:

attending full time, but feeling exhausted, burnt out or otherwise struggling
attending, but avoiding or not engaging in certain lessons
attending, but have experienced low attendance in the past
attending on a reduced timetable
attending only occasionally
not attending at all

This programme is especially designed for young people who are, or may be, autistic, regardless of diagnosis status. The programme especially suits young people who may:

Be ‘fine’ at school, but experience high levels of anxiety and fatigue once home (i.e., masking)
Experience anxiety around attending school; this might include physical symptoms such as chronic pain, stomach upset or difficulty sleeping
Avoid particular lessons, or be absent towards the end of week or term (when they may be experiencing burnout)
Struggle to connect with others at lunchtime or other non-structured times of the day
Appear to ‘people please’ or always try to respond with the ‘right’ answer, rather than giving their own opinion or preferences
Stay quiet in the back of the classroom or otherwise avoid attention
Be reluctant to answer questions that written work indicates they know
Appear to ‘zone out’ even in favourite subjects
Be sensitive to injustice

This programme is not suitable for young people with intellectual/learning disabilities, who require 1:1 support at school or who struggle in group environments.

Feedback

As a pilot project, we are keen to hear from families and professionals to understand how the programme can best fit your needs. If you would like to give feedback about how we could change or improve the project to better suit your young person – this could include the day, time, location, ages, content, delivery style (e.g., online) or any other ideas – or enquire about hosting an in-school project at your school, please get in touch on CreativeHealth@croydon.gov.uk and we will arrange a time to speak.

To register

If the project sounds like a good fit for your young person, please complete the following form (depending on if you are a school/professional or a parent):

School/Professional Referral Criteria
School/Professional Referral Form (A school/professional referral is not required to take part, but can provide useful information and/or allow the Creative Health team to reach out to families directly)
Parent Registration Form

If you want to ask any questions, meet the team, arrange a trial visit, or need help completing registration forms, please don’t hesitate to get in touch on CreativeHealth@Croydon.gov.uk.

Creative Health Home Page