Red Balloon Learner Centres provide a safe, full-time learning environment for children aged eleven to sixteen (eighteen at Red Balloon of the Air) who have self-excluded from mainstream school due to bullying, trauma or mental health issues. The first Centre, in Cambridge, was set up in 1996 by founders Carrie Herbert and Ruth Loshak. There are now five physical Centres: Cambridge, Norwich, North-West London, Reading and Worthing. There is also a blended online and face-to-face provision called Red Balloon of the Air whose aim is to provide an online recovery programme for children who do not feel comfortable enough to attend a physical Centre. Each Centre is a registered charity, as is Red Balloon Educational Trust, which provides centralised support for all Centres.