Red Balloon Achievements

Red Balloon Learner Centre staff and unpaid volunteers work exceptionally hard to provide a 'first class' education for some of society's most vulnerable and isolated children. When students are referred to a Red Balloon Learner Centre, their recovery programme is negotiated with them and over time:

• They become self-confident and learn to 'breathe' again unaided (95% of the children who stay longer than six weeks return to mainstream school, go on to college, further education or into employment).
• They learn how to protect themselves from bullying, recognise when it happens to others, and know ways of dealing with behaviour of this kind.
• They achieve academically (75% of those recovered enough to take five GSCEs achieve 5 A*-C), socially (make and retain friendships), emotionally (cease taking or reduce their medication, learn other ways of controlling their behaviour, develop empathy for others).
• Children who otherwise might be 'lost' to society will be able to return to 'life' and make a positive contribution.
• 30% of our students who go into further education go on to university. Two of our previous students have been awarded First Class Honours degrees from the Universities of London and Newcastle. Among our alumni are a police officer, a chef, an actor, a fundraiser for an NGO, a car mechanic, a care worker, and a city trader.
• One of the very first students at Red Balloon-Cambridge is now planning to set up our next Red Balloon in the North East.