Every young person deserves a fair start in life

When you choose to support Bath Rugby Foundation, you are helping young people who feel like education no longer works for them find a way back into learning, confidence, and opportunity.

You are part of what makes that possible.

This is one of those stories.

Joe’s Story

When Joe arrived at our Alternative Learning Hub, he was at a point where everything was at risk of unravelling.

He had been out of school for long periods. Attendance was extremely low. Confidence had disappeared, and education no longer felt like something that was for him.

Outside of school, life was unstable. Joe was growing up around significant family challenges, including parental substance misuse and exposure to criminal activity within his wider environment. These experiences had a profound impact on his sense of safety, trust, and belonging.

He became increasingly isolated. Trust in adults and education had broken down. Like many young people in similar circumstances, he was drifting further away from learning at a critical stage in his life.

Without timely support, this trajectory can lead to long-term disengagement from education, employment and training.

That was the reality Joe was facing.

Where we came in

Joe joined the Alternative Learning Hub when he needed it most.

At the centre of our approach is something simple but powerful: relationships first.

Before qualifications. Before targets. Before anything else.

Trust.

We focused on rebuilding routine, consistency and belief - step by step, at Joe’s pace.

At first, progress was not immediate. Attendance was inconsistent. Engagement took time. Trust had to be earned.

But slowly, things began to change.

Joe started attending more regularly. He began to build relationships with staff he could rely on. For the first time in a long time, he had consistent, positive adult support around him.

And that changed everything.

As trust grew, so did engagement.

Joe began taking part in new experiences, including practical learning opportunities and matchday employment. These moments helped him build confidence in unfamiliar environments and develop social and workplace skills.

A key turning point came when Joe developed a strong interest in mechanics and engineering. This became more than a hobby - it became motivation, direction, and purpose.

He began working towards Functional Skills qualifications in Maths and English with us, supported by structured learning and consistent mentoring.

He also showed growing independence, including building and adapting his own electric bike - a practical achievement that supported both his learning and his ability to travel to provision consistently.

These milestones represent more than progress in education. They represent a young person rebuilding belief in their future.

Where Joe is now

Joe is now working towards a college course in motor vehicle mechanics.

He is engaging in learning, attending regularly, and actively working towards a future that once felt out of reach.

The change is not just academic.

It is confidence.

It is stability.

It is aspiration.

It is hope.

What your support makes possible

Joe’s story is not an exception. It is one example of what happens when young people are given the right support at the right time.

Through our Alternative Learning Hub, your support helps provide:

• Mentoring and consistent pastoral support
• Small group learning in Maths, English and digital skills
• Personalised education pathways for young people at risk of exclusion
• Life skills development and confidence-building activities
• Sport, movement and wellbeing opportunities
• Work experience placements with local businesses and partners
• Food and practical support during the day

This is a highly relational, structured approach designed to re-engage young people who have become disconnected from mainstream education.

Small charity. Big impact.

We are a small charity, but the impact created with supporters is significant.

For every £1 donated, £6.60 of social value is created through improved education outcomes, wellbeing, confidence, and long-term life chances.

In practice, that means:

• Young people moving from long-term disengagement into education or training
• Increased attendance from an average of 18% on entry to 85% during the programme
• 100% of participants progressing into education or training (NEET into EET)
• 100% sitting Functional Skills Maths and English exams, with a 90% pass rate

But the real impact is not measured in statistics alone.

It is measured in moments like Joe’s.

A young person reconnecting with education.

A young person discovering a future they want to pursue.

A young person beginning to believe in themselves again.

What your support makes possible

Every part of Joe’s journey, and every young person’s journey in the Hub, is shaped by supporters like you.

Your support helps create:

• Safe, consistent learning environments
• Time and space for trusted relationships to form
• Individualised support tailored to complex needs
• Opportunities to learn, grow and try again without judgement
• Pathways into education, training and employment

For some young people, this is the first time they have experienced stability in education.

For others, it is the moment things begin to change.

You are part of their story

The young people we support may never meet every donor personally.

But they experience the impact of your support every day - in the relationships they build, the opportunities they access, and the progress they make.

Joe’s journey happened because someone chose to make it possible.

So do many others like it.

When you support Bath Rugby Foundation, you are not watching change happen from a distance.

You are part of it.

Thank you for helping young people build confidence, develop life skills, and create pathways to independence.