Atelier21 Future School

Atelier21 Future School makes enquiry and practical work the organising ideas of its education. Opened in 2020 for children aged 4 to 16, the Crawley school uses democratic school circles and pupil involvement in rules and decisions as part of a model built around thinking, personal responsibility and relevant learning. Its progressive identity is visible in how pupils are expected to shape as well as receive their education.

From Year 7, the Upper School combines National Curriculum content with the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme. English language and literature, integrated humanities and sciences, mathematics, Spanish, design technology, visual and performing arts, and physical and health education are taught through an Inquiry Cycle. Personalised pathways, critical thinking, collaboration and problem-solving sit alongside the possibility of later progression to the IB Diploma, A levels or another route.

Friday learning turns that approach into making and investigation. Pupils can develop self-directed projects in a recording studio, media lab, textiles studio, young learner kitchen and STEAM lab. Forest learning, equestrian, football, netball, climbing with a NICAS qualification pathway, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, trips, competitions and enterprise add further ways to work beyond a conventional lesson sequence.

Admission is selective. The process starts with an enquiry, followed by a tour and taster day to assess fit between pupil and school. Applications for the following year should arrive by the end of January, and a £500 deposit reserves a place after acceptance. There is no defined catchment, with pupils travelling across Sussex and Surrey, so the daily journey matters as much as the distinctive learning model.