Red Balloon students celebrate another great set of GCSE results

Students at Red Balloon are celebrating another great set of GCSE results. Of children who took GCSE maths, for example, 72% received grades 4 to 9 (the old grades C to A*), and 78% achieved the same in English. They also gained a whole host of other qualifications alongside.

Red Balloon is a network of small academic and therapeutic Centres supporting children who are absent from school because of severe bullying or some other trauma in their lives. Rob Watson, Director of Education, said:

“Students and teachers have had an anxious wait over the last few weeks, particularly given the challenging year that we’ve all experienced. And whatever the news today has brought, we want students to know that they are all successes and we are incredibly proud of them.

“All of our students came to Red Balloon because they simply couldn’t attend mainstream school any more; whether because of severe bullying, mental health problems or some other trauma in their lives. Many had been missing from lessons for months, if not years.

Between them, they’ve overcome a whole range of challenges such as post traumatic stress disorder, severe anxiety and depression, complete loss of confidence, agoraphobia and eating disorders. We’re proud of the progress they’ve made, how much they’ve grown as individuals and we feel privileged to have been part of their journeys.

“No grade on a certificate can ever capture or define our remarkable students, the journeys they have taken and the progress they have made”.

“We hope our students are proud too, and if their results aren’t quite what they expected then we will be there to help them work out what happens next. I’m sure the future holds great things for all of them now they have the renewed self-confidence and self-belief they need, alongside their academic results. We look forward to hearing about their achievements over the years to come.”