Red Balloon Learning Centres

Red Balloon is an alternative to school, enabling young people to re-engage with education. The first learning centre opened in Cambridge in 1996. Since then, it has grown to other cities and also offers support online. 

Increasing numbers of young people are missing from education, not because they are not interested in learning or have been excluded from school, but because they suffer from severe depression and social anxiety. 

Bullying, abuse, mental health problems or life-long conditions are among the most common causes that lead young people to hide in their bedrooms. Red Balloon helps students rebuild their confidence, develop resilience and catch up on their education so that they can reintegrate with their peers.