Red Balloon Aylesbury

At Red Balloon Aylesbury we seek to provide a calm, homely and comfortable environment, where our learners feel welcomed and highly valued. Each is on their own unique journey, with their own set of strengths and challenges. All however have one thing in common; they have found the traditional school environment to be severely overwhelming and unmanageable. Our aim is to support them in the aftermath of some really major struggles.

I believe that Red Balloon’s therapeutic and holistic approach will be the starting point for enabling our cohort to access a meaningful education. We want to prepare them for life beyond school and to enjoy a range of engaging activities during their time with us. However, just as it has taken time and patience to plan and set up this new Centre, our wonderful learners will need to grant themselves time and patience. I am committed to leading our fabulous team in supporting them firstly, to take the huge step of entering our door for the first time and secondly, to take hundreds more small steps towards realising their hopes and dreams.

Jane Cole

Head of Centre

About Red Balloon Aylesbury

Our Centre operates on a full-time basis and opens to students every weekday from 9:00am – 3pm. We have a maximum capacity of 20, in order to maintain a family feel and facilitate an individualised approach. Our learners have come to Red Balloon due to anxiety, severe bullying or other extremely traumatic experiences in previous schools. In our first year of opening we will start at around two thirds of capacity, gradually building numbers, with the aim of being full in September 2026. We have started by prioritising school Years 9-11.

We can be found near Aylesbury Town Centre, on Walton Terrace. The beautiful Georgian House where we will be situated has been bought and renovated by a local Trust, to Lease to our Charity. The Centre is within walking distance of cafes, parks, sports facilities, the Waterside Theatre and the Queens Park Arts Centre. We have a large and tranquil garden, with a suite of garden rooms as well as the main house.

Our facilities include several quiet rooms, which we encourage students to access when they need a calm space, a large community room for eating together and socialising, a science lab, a library and a music studio. We have been busily fundraising for several years to equip these spaces and have made good headway, but still have areas we hope to develop and kit out. Do please bear us in mind when looking to fundraise for an amazing good cause!

Admissions

Admissions for Red Balloon Aylesbury are currently closed. We have had a tremendous amount of interest and have now filled all available places for September. We will be reopening the admissions form late in the autumn term.

Support RBET Aylesbury – how you can help

Thank you for wanting to make a difference for young people in Buckinghamshire in need of support. There are lots of ways you can help, including:

• Making a donation – click the button below to donate directly to RBET Aylesbury via JustGiving
• Helping to spread the word– tell friends and family about us, and follow and share with us on social media – you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagramand LinkedIn

Support Red Balloon Educational Trust – Aylesbury by donating at the link below.