Lowri credits the programme for helping her reflect on her choices and find ways to cope. “Just letting me talk about the situation… even if you didn’t care, just acting like you did care helped. It made me feel like I was more understood instead of people telling me I’ll be fine...” Read more
"SOHK has helped me believe in myself again. I used to get so frustrated, but now I know how to stay calm, talk to someone, and get back in the game.”Two years into the programme, Ryan has absolutely flourished both on and off the field. His rugby ability has greatly improved, and he has developed strong coping mechanisms, demonstrating emotional regulation and resilience... Read more
"I never thought I'd actually look forward to school." Joseph has told the team that SOHK has had a significant impact on his school experience. He feels more confident and looks forward to sharing his weekly experiences with his mentor. He now feels better equipped to handle bullying and has a trusted adult he can approach when he feels unsafe or targeted. Read more
“I’m learning to be strong for myself. Even when things are hard, I want to keep going. SOHK has helped me feel like I have people who care.” Throughout her time with SOHK, Maura has shown remarkable resilience. Despite her challenges, she remains engaged, displaying determination and resilience... Read more
School of Hard Knocks has seen many incredible success stories among our many participants. If you would like to help us create more stories like these, please support us.
Alys was part of a big friendship group that “messed around a lot” and often got into trouble. Her relationships with teachers were sometimes strained, and her confidence and self-esteem were low. Through weekly sessions with SOHK, things began to change. Even Alys says her behaviour has improved massively! Read more
Asher sees SOHK as a place where he can relax and be himself. “People used to take advantage of me,” he says. “Not anymore. I’ve got more confidence now and even work better with people I don’t know.” Read more
Malia* has been part of the School of Hard Knocks (SOHK) programme for over two years. Now in Year 9, she speaks with pride and a growing sense of self-belief about how far she’s come – and how different her relationship with school looks today. Read more
Facing the risk of exclusion, Mo joined the SOHK programme, which became a turning point in his journey. Since joining, Mo has shown incredible resilience and commitment. He has immersed himself in the programme, finding an outlet for his anger and a break from the challenges of school. Read more
Despite her resilience, repeated home-life changes left her feeling abandoned and distrustful of adults. At school, she struggled and was often perceived as defiant, putting her at risk of exclusion. Despite her challenges, she remained determined to find some stability. While her initial attitude was one of resistance. Chloe has committed 100% attendance from the beginning... Read more
"I’m starting to feel like I belong here. It’s not easy, but I feel stronger and more confident, and am starting to trust people more." By focusing on her strengths and pairing her with supportive students, Gaia’s confidence grew. Four months into the programme, she has built strong relationships with her peers and staff and now receives support from the school’s pastoral team. Read more
“I didn’t think I’d be good at this, but now I love it.” The steady support of SOHK has helped her feel seen, valued, and increasingly confident. On the pitch, Sam has gone from questioning, “Why should I?” to giving her all and achieving recognition awards. Her school has noticed a difference... Read more
“Can you stay until I leave school in S6?”. Thomas' relationship with his SOHK mentors was not always so good. Before SOHK, he was struggling at school and was often disruptive, but learning rugby helped Thomas flourish and improve his behaviour and wellbeing. Read more
“When this 6”5 man broke down in floods of tears in a park on an SOHK course, it was clear that the tipping-point had finally been reached.” Read about Jorge's transformation from hardship and homelessness to employment and security. Read more
Read about Josie's experience volunteering with SOHK Wales at Maesteg School and how it has helped her navigate the next few steps on her career path. Read more
Shaun was doubtful of his own abilities and uncertain about what SOHK would bring. He felt helpless and was uncomfortable sharing his problems. The adults programme has since been transformative in his life. Through rugby, he has overcome his previous injuries and lack of confidence to gain friendships and a fresh perspective. Read on to hear his inspirational story. Read more
Lisa is one of the many people who has felt the effects of Covid-19 and the jobs crisis. Every opportunity she thought would be a new start seemed to lead to disappointment. Take a look at how SOHK's Back in the Game course helped her move forward. Read more
Joe signed up to School of Hard Knocks’ Adult Course through a volunteering programme; he was both excited and anxious on his first day. Having become accustomed to a fairly isolated lifestyle, he found being in groups uncomfortable. Despite these initial concerns he felt welcome, valued and understood by the people around him. He found that he shared experiences with many other participants and could be himself without judgement. For the first time he felt like he was part of a team. Read more
Jamie started on School of Hard Knocks’ Schools Programme just over a year ago. His behaviour had become unmanageable at school and he constantly found himself in trouble. Since starting the programme Jamie’s behaviour and way of thinking has changed dramatically. Jamie’s teachers not only find him much easier to handle, but have noticed that he contributes positively in lessons, asks insightful questions and has more respect for others. Read more
When School of Hard Knocks started working with Macy on the Schools Programme, she was getting involved in fights on a regular basis. Not knowing how to handle her behaviour, Macy's school recommended she get involved with SOHK. Each week the team found a new way to engage Macy more and more with the rugby sessions so as to help her improve her confidence both on and off the pitch. Macy now mentors other students, trains with Quins Girls Rugby and dreams of playing internationally for Wales. Read more
When we met Jo just under eleven months ago, her attendance at school was well below average. She had started to find it increasingly difficult to control her emotions, which in turn caused her relationships with peers and teachers to suffer. Eleven months since starting on SOHK's Schools Programme and Jo now feels much happier, more confident and secure in herself. Read more
When Lisa started on School of Hard Knocks’ Adult Course, she felt as though she wasn’t doing anything with her life. She spent her days alone inside her house and had few people to talk to which impacted negatively on her mental health and caused her to develop poor self-esteem. Just under a year later and Lisa has completely transformed. She has gone back to playing rugby and has continued to meet up with her SOHK course-mate. Read more
When we met Karen in January, she had a lung condition called COPD which was gradually getting worse. She was a heavy smoker and was rarely active. Upon completing SOHK's Adult Course, Karen not only found a job that she now loves but also found an incredible passion for rugby. She decided to further explore her newfound love for the sport and took part in a homeless rugby initiative where she played at Murrayfield stadium during half-time between Edinburgh and Ulster in front of 5,000 fans. Read more
The physical element of our Adult Courses was why Aggie started at School of Hard Knocks, but the people were why she stayed. She found that though her course-mates had different stories, their experience of life was very similar to her own. Aggie felt understood by the people around her which subsequently engendered a supportive environment for her to thrive and fulfil her maximum potential. Read more
Have a read of one of our latest heartwarming success stories showing what can happen when we work together! Read more