Our story

A Brief History

Ken Cowen, CEO of School of Hard Knocks, was working for a training provider in Liverpool in 2007 when Knowsley council approached him for help. Faced with a cohort of young men who were long-term unemployed, sustained by the proceeds of petty crime and hostile to any normal pre-employment intervention, the council were appealing for innovative ideas to help these men contribute positively to society.

Drawing on his early career as a PE teacher in one of Liverpool's most challenging schools, Ken devised a course that would use the sport of rugby to engage these men, teach them positive values and behaviours and give them a sense of self-worth, self-efficacy and hopefulness for the future. The result was the School of Hard Knocks.

The signs were not auspicious on the first day of the programme, held at a disused primary school, when three of the squad were arrested by heavily armoured police on the morning of the first day. Over the next 8 weeks, however, Ken and his colleagues saw the men undergo profound changes in their outlook, attitude and behaviour. When the course culminated in a 60-0 thrashing by the Duke of Lancaster Regiment XV, Ken expected the boys to be distraught. Instead, he saw them walk off the pitch looking inches taller than when they walked onto it. As one participant said, "if I can do that after 8 weeks, imagine what I can do in the next 8 years".

Subsequent courses were delivered for a wide range of organisations such as NHS trusts and Youth Offending Teams. By this time, Sky Sports were a key partner to the intervention, documenting a course each year and involving British Lions Will Greenwood and Scott Quinnell as presenters. By 2012, the need for the work to expand and serve more people was apparent and so the School of Hard Knocks charity was registered.

Working now in London, Cardiff, Glasgow and Edinburgh, the charity currently employs core team of 18 people; has two outstanding patrons in Invictus Games gold-medallist and world record holder Andy Grant and England stalwart Andy Gomarsall MBE; and helps over 750 adults and children each year. Ultimately, though, it still adheres to the ethos and methodology of the first course in 2007 - empowering people to achieve whatever they set their minds to.

Latest

Jamie's Story

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. Jamie was confrontational and defiant when it came to listening to his teachers, feeling as though everyone was against him. Jamie’s mum Clair, was on the phone to the school on a daily basis being told of new problem that Jamie had caused or a new incident that he had been involved in.
Macy's Story

When School of Hard Knocks started working with Macy two years ago on the Schools Course, she was getting involved in fights on a regular basis. Macy was often thrown out of lessons for being disruptive and arguing with teachers. Not knowing how to deal with Macy’s attitude, her school recommended she get involved with School of Hard Knocks. It was only until she started on the programme that she and her teachers started to understand why she was behaving the way that she was.
Jo and Angela's Story

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. Her own personal wellbeing was also being affected, Jo became tearful and angry when at school, so she started to make excuses to not go in.
Karen's Story

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. Karen had also just been made redundant and due to the fact that she had been in her previous job for such a long time, was out of practice in terms of applying for new roles. When one of School of Hard Knocks’ course facilitators handed Karen a leaflet at the job centre she was volunteering at, her interest in the course was immediately piqued.