Scholengemeenschap Tabor I, Hoorn

Lunch break at Tabor primary school in Hoorn, and pupils quickly fill the central hall. Groups pounce on tables, where they examine each other’s lunchboxes while sharing the latest bits of gossip.

This is the ambiance that the Dutch photographer Raimond Wouda manages to capture in his series on schools in the Netherlands. His photographs not only give insight into pupils’ behaviour, from group formation to clothing style, but also serve as a demographic map of the surrounding area. Given how easily distracted children are, it is remarkable how oblivious they seem to the photographer. This is why Wouda’s series School I offers such a pure depiction of young people in school. This lively photograph of the hall forms a striking contrast to the static school portraits made every year.