Breaking Away – Case Study

Simon (name has been changed to protect his identity) is a year 8 boy who was struggling with challenging behaviour at school.

The school had immediately put him forward as one of the first pupils to be part of this first cohort. Information about the new Breakout programme had been shared with the parents and it was good to see the need for this intervention also resonated at home. On the first day of The Breakout Program the school received an email from mum that she wanted to share with me as programme leader. Simon was involved with young people who were carrying knives and she was very concerned about this.

The first session Simon took part in was the county lines workshop delivered by Dwayne from Road Light. He was relatively quiet during the session but you could see he was really listening to what Dwayne was talking about in terms of peer pressure and grooming.

Throughout the delivery of The Breakout Program, Simon became more and more involved in the classroom workshops, always having valid thought-provoking points and engaging in discussions.

Simon really came to life in the outdoor adventure activities at The Caldecotte Xpereince. He showed confidence and resilience in each activity, sometimes starting off unsure but always completing each activity. Simon also showed great leadership skills, often motivating the others in the group.