Red Balloon Learner Centres provide a safe, full-time learning environment for children aged eleven to sixteen (eighteen at Red Balloon of the Air) who have self-excluded from mainstream school due to bullying, trauma or mental health issues. The first Centre, in Cambridge, was set up in 1996 by founders Carrie Herbert and Ruth Loshak. There are now five physical Centres:

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

, North-West London,

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

and

Worthing Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and Hov ...

. There is also a blended online and face-to-face provision called Red Balloon of the Air whose aim is to provide an online recovery programme for children who do not feel comfortable enough to attend a physical Centre. Each Centre is a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

, as is Red Balloon Educational Trust, which provides centralised support for all Centres.

General information

The main aims of the Red Balloon are to: * Provide alternative secondary education up to Key Stage 4 to children who have been severely bullied, suffered trauma and/or suffer from poor mental health that prevents them attending mainstream school * Provide individual, full-time academic, pastoral and therapeutic programmes tailored to each student * Provide a safe, supportive, and welcoming environment * Encourage and model consideration and respect at all times * Restore self-confidence * Teach students how to respond to bullying * Help students regain interest and engagement with their learning to reach their individual personal and educational goals. * Help students return, as soon as possible, to mainstream education, progress to further education or find meaningful employment The Centres provide a range of activities such as textiles, clay-work, painting, and African drumming, and the typical facilities include a science lab, a technology studio, a landscaped garden. There are only twenty students enrolled in a Centre at any given time, and most of the teaching is done on a one-to-one or small group basis.

Locations

Red Balloon Cambridge

Red Balloon has operated in Cambridge for over twenty-five years, and is now made up of two smaller Centres, which together have up to forty young people based in and around the Cambridgeshire area. They organise trips and visits throughout the year, ranging from short walks to local shops museums, to longer trips to London. Red Balloon Cambridge currently offers fourteen subjects.

Red Balloon Northwest London

Based in Harrow, Red Balloon Northwest London has up to twenty young people in the Northwest London area, and also has access to Harrow School’s sports facilities. It is assisted by Ben Bullen Adventures, so that the students can take part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Red Balloon Northwest London offers ten subjects but has the flexibility to cater to additional interests.

Red Balloon Norwich

Red Balloon Norwich is located in the centre of town and has to up to forty students in the old Victorian property, as well as access to trained therapists. Red Balloon Norwich offers 22 subjects, and all kinds of qualifications including GCSEs, ASDANs, and technical awards.

Red Balloon Reading

Situated across from Reading College, Red Balloon Reading has up to 24 students. In addition to art and music therapies, students have access to equine therapy at the local equestrian centre. With seven subjects on offer students have the opportunity to gain a range of GCSE qualifications and awards. As part of the wellbeing and social re-engagement strands of Red Balloon, students participate in sporting activities such as boxing, kayaking, and fencing in town, and are encouraged to join trips to museums, zoos and cultural sites.

Red Balloon Worthing

Red Balloon’s fifth physical centre opened in 2022 in Worthing, and has up to twenty students. The Centre is near good transport links which will help students partake in extracurricular activities and trips that get them engaging with their community again.

Red Balloon of the Air

Inspired by the 1950s Australian radio education programme ‘School of the Air’, Red Balloon of the Air uses technology to bring education to students who cannot access one of the physical Centres. Like all Red Balloon students, they have access to BACP-registered therapists. Red Balloon of the Air is available across the southeast of England and is open to people aged 11–18. Red Balloon of the Air also has a post 16 provision called the Step4ward Programme which supports students aged 16–20 with an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) to retake GCSE exams, access therapy, participate in the social re-engagement activities and/or catch up on any additional education they need to reach their goals.

Red Balloon Educational Trust

In 2021 Red Balloon Learner Centre Group changed their name to Red Balloon Educational Trust (RBET). After consolidation in 2021, Red Balloon Educational Trust includes the operations of Red Balloon of the Air, the new Red Balloon Worthing, as well as providing Central Services.

References

External links

Read Balloon Learner Centres website.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Red Balloon Learner Centres The 1996 establishments in England Alternative schools in England Charities based in England Educational charities based in the United Kingdom Educational institutions established in 1996 Private co-educational schools in London Private schools in Cambridgeshire Private schools in Norfolk Private schools in the London Borough of Harrow Private schools in Reading, Berkshire