Peterborough student reveals how anti-bullying charity has helped transform her life

It has been a challenging year for all students as lockdown and social distancing has disrupted both their time in school and exams. However, some children have already been missing from school for months, if not years, because they are too scared to set foot through the front gates.

It is difficult to pinpoint exactly how widespread this problem is but studies by charity ‘Ditch the Label’ found that one in four young people have been bullied and this has increased by 25 percent since last year. Research conducted on behalf of Red Balloon themselves found that an estimated 16,000 children, aged 11–15, who were absent from state secondary schools, stated bullying as the main reason.

Red Balloon aim to be there to support as many of those students as they can and have been leading the way in supporting vulnerable youngsters since 1996. Since that time, they have opened a number of Learning Centres across the East which offer an alternative to school and provide a haven where children can resume their studies, receive therapy, make friends and prepare for adulthood.

Rob Watson, Red Balloon’s Director of Education said: “We meet many children who simply can’t attend mainstream school any more. They may have suffered from bullying, bereavement or abuse for example and, as a result, are experiencing symptoms of PTSD or such severe anxiety that they can’t bear to be alongside their peers.”

Given how detrimental bullying can be on mental health though, some people, who find themselves in a downward spiral, can’t attend a Red Balloon centre or they simply live too far away. Therefore, the Red Balloon of the Air (RBAir) programme has been created to offer a unique blend of education, mentoring and therapy online as well as face-to-face.

These therapeutic lessons are in real time in very small groups and led by qualified teachers who make use of innovative techniques and hands-on practicals.

As well as lessons, RBAir supports students’ mental health. Some are initially too scared to leave their bedrooms, so they start by talking through their door, and specialist mentors spend their early meetings building trust and coaxing them to step outside. For some, this is the first time they’ve learned alongside others for many years.

Ultimately, the goal is for them to have enough self confidence to join with fellow students, taking part in activities like forest skills, science experiments, cooking or simply going for a coffee. 84 percent of people reported that their mental health had improved since joining the charity.

Red Balloon has also achieved remarkable academic results. This summer, 72 percent of students taking GCSE maths achieved grades 9-4 and 78 percent did so in English.

Rob Watson added: “Red Balloon offers young people a safe and compassionate space, even when they’re online, where they can come to terms with what they’ve experienced and take steps forward.

“With the right encouragement, they grow in self confidence and resilience. While school may not be for everyone, we believe that education should be and we want students to leave us feeling brave and excited about the future.”

Anna’s story

Anna is one of many RBAir students from Peterborough. She had agoraphobia, autism, extreme anxiety and panic attacks, and this led to her being bullied. She stopped going to school when she was 12-years-old and became so isolated that she couldn’t even come downstairs to join her family for dinner.

Anna missed out on four years of schooling before finding RBAir. She now receives online tutoring for her GCSEs and is getting her education back on track. She is now able to learn on a laptop in their own home, where she feels safe.

Anna said: “Everyone made me feel so comfortable and showed me that they weren’t really worried about my education straight away, first they wanted me to be OK.

“One of the best things has been the therapy that Red Balloon offers. It doesn’t feel like therapy, it just feels like chatting to someone about your life.”

Anna’s transformation is astonishing to those who know her best. Her mum, Julie, added: “Now Anna is at Red Balloon, we’ve got somewhere she belongs. She feels safe, doesn’t feel judged or pressured.

“She had missed out on her social development because of not having had access to other kids for years but now she’s around other children who understand her and to see her interacting with everyone brings tears to my eyes. Her whole world is opening up again.”

Anna leaves Red Balloon in June 2021 after taking her GCSEs and hopes to go to college to either study dog training or theatre stage make-up.

To find out more about Red Balloon visit redballoonlearner.org or to get in touch, email [email protected].