SOHK’s Impact Across UK Schools in 2025

Each year, School Of Hard Knocks sets out to empower young people across Scotland, England and Wales, and to make meaningful impact on the lives of young people facing challenges in their education. 

In recent years, issues around school attendance, engagement and exclusions have skyrocketed due to the effects of Covid-19, rising poverty, and over-stretched social services. A recent report estimates 32 million days of learning were lost to exclusion and unauthorised absence in 2022/23 (up from 19 million in 2018/19). 

Early intervention can equip young people with the tools to engage with learning, safeguard their wellbeing, and achieve in school and later life... and that’s where we come in! 

How do we do this? 

Through the high-impact sport of rugby, combined with 1-1 mentoring and group sessions, SOHK seeks to enable the young adults on our programme to find purpose and meaning in their lives. By providing them with a safe space in which to learn, grow and participate, dedicated regional delivery teams enable and encourage our participants to build their communication skills, confidence, commitment, self-control and ability to work within a team.  

Discover what some of our participants had to say about their experience with SOHK this year. 

“People used to take advantage of me. Not anymore. I used to be scared because I didn’t have the confidence, but now I’m not.”
- Ryan, Year 9 

But Ryan* isn’t alone; 90% of our participants reported feeling more confident in themselves this year through the SOHK programme. We believe that confidence can help improve communication, which goes hand-in-hand with the 92% of participants who said they were able to build more positive relationships this year with students, teachers and others in their lives.  

“Lucy* comes back home every Thursday so happy thanks to Ben and Frank. She has always found it hard to speak to anyone but she opened up to Ben. Lucy is so upset the programme has come to an end. I cannot thank you enough for how much it helped Lucy. She has absolutely loved the last year and having the experience to do different things. Ben and Frank will be sadly missed.”
- Parent of Lucy, Year 8 

Lucy’s mum isn’t the only one who feels this way, with parents recommending SOHK with a collective score of 9.1 out of 10. Throughout the year, they have seen their children grow to become more confident, happier, better able to manage their anger and talk about their feelings, all leading to higher resilience and overall improved behaviour. 

“The SOHK team have been exceptional this year. Staff have checked in with myself every week for updates and have worked collaboratively with the school. The pupils on the programme have benefited massively and it is something they look forward to each week. Although they create a safe space to be open, they have clear boundaries and expectations which they hold the pupils accountable for. The impact on the girls has been amazing to see, lots of individuals coming out of their shell and being confident within themselves.”
- Educator, Bacon's College 

Because SOHK isn’t just about the students, it’s about the parents and teachers as well. It’s about the larger picture and how we all work together to build better futures that benefit not just us, but those around us. 

Positive feedback from the schools and teachers is vital, and we were thrilled to hear that a whopping 100% of the schools we work with would recommend SOHK to other schools. From improved emotional regulation to improved self-awareness, 100% of schools consider our work as highly beneficial to the remarkable young people. 

In 2026, we are seeking to expand our reach so that more young people who are struggling can benefit from our early intervention at school. If you think SOHK’s programme could work in your school, please get in touch with our team. Find out more about our programme here.  

*Student names have been changed for privacy.