Red Balloon Norwich

Red Balloon provides an alternative form of education for young people who have suffered difficult life experiences meaning they are no longer able to attend mainstream school. As a team we work tirelessly to provide a safe and nurturing environment for our young people, helping them to develop the confidence to begin learning once more whilst also focusing on building confidence and developing social skills.

We pride ourselves in transforming young people’s lives, helping them to build resilience and belief in themselves once more, empowering them to be the best they can be.

I feel so privileged to be part of the Red Balloon community.

Heather Jolly
Head of Centre

About the Centre

RB-Norwich provides a safe and supportive learning environment for up to 40 young people from Norfolk and surrounding counties. Our Centre is open Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 15:30 during term time, and students attend full-time or start on a reduced time-table and building up to full time, depending on their needs and abilities.

Students can join RB-Norwich from age 11 to 16, with those already with us able to stay to the maximum age of 17 to complete their GCSEs. Though we have sixth-form aged students with us, we are not able to offer A-levels. The highest level of education we offer is Key Stage 4 (GCSEs and equivalent).

See more on Subjects and qualifications.

About Red Balloon

At Red Balloon we judge success and progress for our students against their unique goals. It’s not about getting good grades, we want to see our students grow as individuals and develop the personal skills, social skills and confidence to make their way in the world.

All Red Balloon Centres are based on the three key elements of

• Well-being
• Education
• and Social re-engagement

to ensure our students get the support they need to thrive. Read more about our Values, ethos and practice.

Negotiated curriculum

All students are given the opportunity to negotiate their curriculum. This means that teachers use topics that students are passionate about – eg horse riding, manga comics, paintball or car racing – and creatively linked them to the curricular subjects to rekindle their interest in learning. Over the course of their time with us, students progress from 1:1 sessions to small group sessions. 50% of our programme is dedicated to well-being support and therapy and students are offered a range of therapeutic support via their mentors.

At the heart of our community is our big communal kitchen and dining room. Here, staff and students come together to eat, play games or just sit and chat.

See more on What students can expect or Our Values, Ethos and Practice.

Find out more about Red Balloon Norwich

Enrolling with us

Each referral is examined individually by our Head of Centre to decide if the young person would fit with the mix of students already enrolled. To enquire about a place and add your child’s name to our waiting list, please contact us on 01603 622288 or heather.jolly@rbnorwich.org.uk. For further information see Admissions.

If RB-Norwich is not suitable for you or your child, do take a look at our online provision Red Balloon of the Air.

Safeguarding at Red Balloon Norwich

FAQs