Charity: Red Balloon Learner Centres

Project: Red Balloon North West London


Background

The first Red Balloon Learner Centre was set up in Cambridge in 1996. The organisation aims to recover young people at school who have been bullied so badly that they have withdrawn from mainstream learning, are often depressed, suffer from low confidence, unable to interact with their peers and are, on occasion, suicidal. The organisation runs Learner Centres, each of which provides for those young people who live in boroughs local to the centres, are 11 – 17 years old and have been so badly bullied that parents and the local education authorities are at their “wits end”. The centres promise their students a safe environment with clear boundaries for behaviour, and an individual full-time academic curriculum, as well as a pastoral and therapeutic programme.  Once the students have regained their confidence and are able to cope academically and socially, RB supports them in their return to mainstream school, their entry to further education or to employment.


Further details

Red Balloon - NW London is the first centre to be opened in London (Harrow). They provide full-time academic, pastoral and therapeutic support for up to fifteen students at any one time. Students can choose from a range of subjects including Sport, English, Maths, Science, History, Music, Citizenship etc. Some of these are project-based (for example, slavery and racial awareness), at the heart of which lie reading, writing, listening, speaking, numeracy and basic science. Sessions operate either one-to-one or on a small group basis. There is a comprehensive personal and social education programme, in which students learn about anger-management, conflict resolution, mediation and strategies for dealing with bullying, they are encouraged to participate in  debates, drama, singing, Girls’ and Boys’ groups and Circle Time. In addition, all students are offered therapy.

To further facilitate their integration back into sociability, break and lunch times are taken up with board games, social conversations led by adults and supervised social interaction between students. This unique combination helps the young people to not only continue with their education but more importantly it rebuilds their confidence and ability to interact with other people both their peers and adults.

Students are referred by the local authorities, by schools or by parents/ grandparents/guardians. The Children’s Services of Local Authorities pay the tuition fees of the young people whom they have agreed to fund, and these cover most of the running costs. Funds for the additional costs of resources, trips, improvements to the centre, equipment and therapy fees are raised by the Trustees.

Red Balloon aims to “recover” their students and where possible return them to mainstream school. To do this they work closely with local secondary schools or colleges to facilitate the re-integration of their young people once they are on the road to recovery.

Deutsche Bank provided valuable start-up costs to support the set up of the centre in London which opened its doors in 2008.
 

• Red Balloon Learner Centres
• Red Balloon Learner Centres - North West London