About Red Balloon - Cambridge

Acting Co-ordinators (maternity cover for Jessica Lechner):

Jo Buffery and Denise Frohlich

Jo and Denise are sharing the task of co-ordinating the Red Balloon - Cambridge, while Jessica takes time to look after her new twins! Both Jo and Denise have been teachers at the Centre for several years, and are continuing to teach around their duties as co-ordinators. If you need to speak to one of them in particular, please do leave a message, or call on one of the days they are co-ordinator:

Jo: Monday morning (9-1.30), Wednesday and Thursday

Denise: Monday morning (9-1.30), Tuesday and Friday

If neither of them is available our administrator, Mara will be happy to help with any enquiries, and either Jo or Denise will be in touch as soon as possible.

About Red Balloon - Cambridge

The atmosphere at the Red Balloon is different to that of most other schools, so we asked some of the staff and students at Red Balloon Cambridge how they feel about it.

• "I like it here because it's small and I like the teachers."
• "It's caring, supportive and friendly."
• "It's so cosy and feels like a real home to me, because it is in a normal house."
• "It has helped me a lot."
• "We have healthy food."
• "It's a place where everyone can be who they are and be respected for it."
• "It is a happy place!"
• "It rocks!"

The staff and students work together as a community. Everyone is called by their first name, there are no uniforms or detentions, and everyone has their lunch together in the Community Room. There are only fifteen students at any one time, and most of the teaching is done on a one-to-one or small group basis, with the exception of sports, drama and PSHE activities. The school has a purpose-made science lab, a technology studio, a landscaped garden and a therapy room. There are resources for a range of creative activities such as textiles, clay-work, painting, African drumming, electric guitar and piano. The school is based in the centre of Cambridge, close to Parker's Piece for running around at lunchtimes, and Kelsey Kerridge Sports Centre for indoor sports activities including swimming, badminton, table-tennis, basketball, and fencing. We have close links with many local schools, and our students often go there for specific lessons as part of their re-integration into mainstream.

May 2013