I was being rude to the teachers, refusing to go to lessons, sometimes I’d be fighting with my friends and I’d get told off. I was bored in school and it brought me entertainment.

I was so badly behaved that I had to be isolated. It was long, from 8.30 to 3.30. It was tiring, you just sit and look at a wall for hours or do some work.  There were other people in the room but there were boards so you couldn’t see anyone. It was prison-like.  It was depressing and boring, I felt dead inside when I was in there.  It also affected my learning a lot.

I was told I was on my last chance and if I got excluded again, I’d have to go to another school. At the time I wasn’t bothered by that. It was then that I was chosen to join ThinkForward.

Being on ThinkForward, things are much better.  My relationship with my coach, Jen, is unique. She respects me and I can talk to her. If I hadn’t joined ThinkForward I wouldn’t be here at school. I’d probably have been excluded again and be at an AP. It wouldn’t have been good.

Jen helped to mature me more and if I was getting told off and she found out, she would come and find me and tell me I had to calm down. She helped me have a better relationship with my teachers. She would talk to them about my problems in the lessons and then they would come and talk to me about it.

I still get told off but not as much. I get good reports now, I never used to get good reports. The school would say I’m not as bad as I was, and that I’m a nice person to talk to and I’m polite and I’m helpful. It makes me feel happy.

I’ve developed leadership skills and I feel like a better person all round. I feel I can do something positive with my life. Before I didn’t really care about my future but now I do.