Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk, Norwich
Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk is a special school for pupils aged 11 to 18 in Norwich. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2025. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk are The Parkside School, Norwich (0.3 miles, Outstanding); The Clare School (0.9 miles, Outstanding); Harford Manor School, Norwich (1.2 miles, Good); and Eaton Hall Specialist Academy (1.3 miles, Good).
The Parkside School, NorwichThe Clare SchoolHarford Manor School, NorwichEaton Hall Specialist Academy
What parents say
10 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk (as of September 2025): 70% would recommend the school, 70% say their child is happy there and 33% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (70%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (33%).
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk has an education, health and care plan (20 of 20 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Norwich Rail Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Gladstone Street (opposite), 20 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 662 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Norfolk (28), as is usual near a town centre.
Sources: Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 11 months agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Independent school standards
Met all the independent school standards.
- Part 1: quality of educationMet
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyMet
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsMet
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementMet
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Pupils report feeling safe and cared for by staff members. The school maintains appropriate staffing levels during the school day. However, these positives are significantly undermined by serious failings in safeguarding oversight, educational quality, and leadership management that require urgent attention.
Key Strengths
- Pupils feel safe on school premises and have trusted adults they can turn to
- Staff are deployed appropriately during the school day with adequate coverage
- School has a safeguarding policy that reflects current statutory guidance
Areas for Improvement
- Safeguarding arrangements are not effective - serious concerns have not been reported to authorities and harmful behaviour has not been properly identified or acted upon
- Quality of education for pupils with SEND has declined significantly with weak assessment practices and poor curriculum delivery
- Staff recruitment and suitability checks have not followed statutory procedures, including missing medical fitness checks and section 128 checks
- Leadership is weak with high staff turnover, vacant key positions, and poor governance oversight
- Pupils' risk assessments are unclear and not consistently followed by staff
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is not effective - the proprietor has not ensured adequate arrangements with insufficient oversight, failures to report serious concerns to authorities, and multiple issues with how child-on-child abuse and harmful behaviour cases have been handled.
Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk is a special school for pupils aged 11-18 with social, emotional and mental health needs. This emergency inspection found the school does not meet independent school standards in multiple critical areas.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
10 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 56
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 10
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 56 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 10 serious and 46 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
16 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Norfolk is 4 (the median across 462 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
100%
Full
20 pupils
20 places
No spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Norwich
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Norwich
Across Norfolk council
Places available
9,559
Applications
8,625
Got 1st preference
94.1%
Got preferred school
98.3%
All secondary applications across Norfolk council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
20
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
20
Total Pupils
8
Boys
12
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk
What is Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk's Ofsted rating?
Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2025, it was rated Good.
Does Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in January 2025, Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk?
Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk has around 20 pupils on roll.
Does Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk have specialist SEN provision?
Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk?
Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 56 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 10 serious and 46 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 16 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Norfolk is 4 (the median across 462 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk?
Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk is at 76 Earlham Road, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 3DF.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)