Red Balloon Learner Centre Reading
11+ Admissions Guide 2026

Red Balloon Learner Centre Reading is an independent co-educational day centre for pupils aged 11 to 17 years. It opened in November 2011 and is one of four centres in the Red Balloon group. It is a registered charity governed by local trustees, and is organised into two sections: Key Stage 3 for pupils aged 11 to 14, and Key Stage 4 for pupils aged 14 to 17. The centre supports young people who self-exclude from school and are missing education because of bullying or other trauma. It aims to provide full-time and part-time recovery programmes that encompass education, personal development and well-being, and seeks to create a caring environment in which pupils can regain self-confidence and make academic progress. Pupils may go on to transfer to mainstream education or, for those over the age of 16, to access training. Pupils come from a wide range of backgrounds, mostly from white British families living within a 15-mile radius of the centre. All pupils are identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), which include dyslexia, dyspraxia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autistic spectrum conditions, and every pupil has an education, health and care (EHC) plan.