How bullied children get back on track

Project

Red Balloon Learner Centres

Purpose

To help children who have been bullied rebuild their self-esteem and get back on track academically

Funding

£20,000 per child per year, met by a combination of local authorities, schools, parents and bursaries funded by private sponsors

Background

Thousands of 11- to 15-year-olds stay away from school each year because of bullying. Some drop out altogether. In November 1996, teacher and bullying expert Carrie Herbert responded to a call from a desperate mother whose 13-year-old daughter had taken an overdose in response to severe bullying and been out of school for more than six months. Herbert agreed to provide tuition and support and by the following summer, eight children were arriving daily at her home.

Red Balloon was formed as a charity in 1997, acquiring its first premises in Cambridge in 2003. Alongside Cambridge, there are now centres in Norwich, Harrow and Reading, as well as Red Balloon of the Air, a virtual centre providing online tuition and support, and Red Balloon Braintree, offering a combination of virtual learning and face-to-face sessions.

Action

Children are referred to Red Balloon centres by councils, schools and parents. They take children who have "self-excluded" from school, mostly due to bullying but sometimes due to trauma such as the death of a parent. At least half have attempted or seriously considered suicide.

Centres are based in converted houses, catering for about 15 full-time students. They attend for at least six weeks, although most stay at least two terms.

Each centre has about eight staff with psychologists or counsellors making up 1.5 of these posts. The timetable is 60 per cent academic and the remaining 40 per cent is a personal, social and health education programme. It includes art, music or play therapy, alongside counselling and activities to help children deal with feelings such as anger and depression.

After an initial assessment, pupils embark on several weeks of one-to-one work with teachers, gradually progressing into group work. Teachers follow the National Curriculum to get students to at least the level they would be at if still in school. Young people also work towards personal milestones that could include travelling to the centre on their own by public transport or eating with others at lunchtime.

Visits are organised to mainstream schools and colleges to prepare children for the transition. Herbert says it is "obvious" when someone is ready to go back: "They start making eye contact again, start saying 'no' and asking 'why' and generally become more like teenagers, with a bit of attitude."

Outcome

Eighty three young people attended Red Balloon centres in 2013/14. Figures from the project show around 95 per cent of children who attend for six weeks or more get back into mainstream school or progress to further education.

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