RBAir is part of Red Balloon Educational Trust, Registered charity number 1109606
RBAir’s registration as a school
As a blended online and face-to-face provision, RBAir falls into a grey area in legislation and is currently unable to legally register as a school due to the logistics of our physical locations and the fact that students do not attend our premises on a daily basis. We are working with the Department for Education to resolve this, and are awaiting OEAS accreditation, but cannot be inspected at this time. It should be noted that this is not a reflection on the high quality provision which we provide: the Department for Education has provided a Letter of Comfort which can be seen here.
RBAir has taken part in many Quality Assurance processes with a range of Local Authorities and is recognised as an approved Alternative Provider in many areas of the UK. You can download our Quality Assurance Certificate for Cambridge and Peterborough here.
RBAir is a registered GCSE exam centre, with an access arrangements and assesment team, and a member of the Independent Schools Association.
Performance outcomes
Our programme is designed to reduce students’ social isolation, build their confidence and get them back on an academic track, raising their ambitions and interest in learning.
We support a very diverse group of young people, many of whom have been out of education for several months or even years. When our students join us, they have missed extensive periods of schooling. Accordingly, their attainment levels are usually well below the national average for their age.
We also have a high proportion of students with special educational needs – in 2017/18, 81% of our students had recognised special educational needs. It is therefore important to view performance not just in terms of academic attainment. RBAir values the progress students make in their personal, emotional and social development just as much as those achievements measured by exams.
GCSE exams 2022
Our students each sit a selection of subjects based on their needs and aspirations; highlights of this year’s results are shared below. We were delighted to see their achievements this year, with an overall grade 9-4 pass rate of 75%.
- Of our 11 students who took Maths, 69% achieved grades 4-9
- Of our 10 students who took English Language, 71% achieved grades 4-9
- Of our 13 students who took Science in any form, 75% achieved grades 4-9
- Of our 7 students who took Psychology, 100% achieved grades 4-9
- Of our 2 students who took History, 100% achieved grades 4-9
- Of our 5 students who took Chemistry, 100% achieved grades 4-9
Non-GCSE exams and qualifications 2022
Our students also took a range of non-GCSE exams and qualifications, including BTECs, Functional Skills, Edexcel Awards and Arts Awards at various levels. Qualifications ranged in subject from the core English, Maths, and Science, to more varied subjects such as Arts and Animal Care.
Across all these qualifications our students achieved an incredible 92% pass rate.
Our targets for our students
We continually monitor the quality of our provision. We aim to achieve the following outcomes:
- 80% of our students improve attendance from 0% at their previous school to over 70% at Red Balloon after 12 months on the programme.
- 85% of our students return or transition to appropriate mainstream or alternative education or further education, training or work.
- 90% of eligible students (Years 10 and 11) sit exams and obtain qualifications.
- 75% of students increase activities outside the home by 50% or more after 12 months on the programme.
Policies
Policies are reviewed annually by the Centre trustees. The Chair of Trustees signs a policy list (held in the Centre office) to indicate that this has been carried out. Names of ‘responsible staff’ (e.g. Examinations Officer) as required within policies are also available from the Centre office.
Annual reports
Red Balloon Learner Centre Group produces an annual report for the work undertaken across the Red Balloon federation of charities. Our most recent reports are available below.
Key Centre information
| Address | Willow Lodge, 37 High Street, Milton, Cambridge, CB24 6DF |
| Telephone number | 01223 354338 |
| Name of Headteacher | Michelle Williams |
| Proprietor | Red Balloon Educational Trust Willow Lodge, 37 High Street, Milton, 01223 366052 |
| Chair of the governing board | TBC |
| Statement of the school’s ethos and aims | Please read our Curriculum Statement |
Number of official complaints received: 0
Red Balloon of the Air is a proud Rainbow Flag Award Recipient
