Below is a short piece from a parents perspective of one of my students I have been working with who struggles with his anxiety. It's such a great feeling to know Chance is Change is making a real difference in young people's lives

We first met Tom almost 2 years ago, my son started suffering with anxiety and panic attacks, it was a struggle to even get him in the car to get to school, when at school he wouldn’t get out the car! He would only manage to stay for one or two lesson before thinking he wasn’t able to manage anymore of his school day. Tom saw us one day struggling to console my son as he was having an anxiety attack to get out of the car, tom took over and managed to get my son out the car and into school, from then they have struck up a relationship and over the 2 years Tom has shown my son a lot of strategies and ways of dealing with his anxiety. With thanks to Tom, my son now gets out of the car a lot calmer, he has managed to stay in school longer, he has managed to go from staying in school for only the first one or two lessons to managing at times a full day!! Not only has Tom helped my son in school, with his patients, understanding and his connection with Him ,Tom has helped him with his social life as well, with being able to apply his strategies and help from Tom, my son has managed to go to football stadiums and days out to just coming back from a two weeks holidays in Crete!! As a family we are so grateful to Tom and chance is change for the help he has given my son and honestly don’t know how we would have managed if we hadn’t had met Tom that day at school, my son feels he has met not only someone willing to help and understand him, but also a friend and someone he can trust, which is really important for now and his future.

Below is a short piece from a teachers perspective of how I work with young people. It’s a great feeling that Chance is Change is not only making a difference with young people but teachers are seeing the potential in it too 

I had the pleasure of working with Tom for a couple of years and in that time I saw the difference he made to the students he worked with. Tom is all about inclusive education and finding ways to 'tap in' to the students so they can access the curriculum in schools and stay in mainstream school. Where Tom has worked with students on a 1-1 basis I know that he worked to ensure that they knew how they needed to change and manage their behaviour in the classroom. Students loved working with him because he wasn't afraid to share his own experiences of education. I fully recommend Tom to working with you and 100% agree that Chance is Change.

Makes me so happy that Chance is Change is making such a positive difference to young people, 

Tom has worked closely with my son for over a year now. My son has ADHD and is socially vulnerable . He takes him for 1:1 sessons, these have helped him in so many ways. His confidence has grown, Tom inspires him to make good choices. 
It’s refreshing to have someone like Tom to make a positive influence on his life! 

Geraldine Brogan
Headteacher
Dinglewell Junior School

Tom has been invaluable in working with children at our school. He reaffirms school boundaries and develops a good rapport with both the children and the staff. He is a great role model for the children and understands their needs. He encourages the children he works with to manage their behaviour; giving them strategies to change the way they deal with certain situations. Tom is both reliable and flexible which is so important when working in a primary school! Ultimately he has made a significant difference to the children he works with, making their school experience a far more positive one.

Had this lovely message sent to me today , it really means a lot that Chance Is Change is making a difference to young people
We are growing more and more everyday 

Tom Hoskins from Chance for Change has been working with The Peak Academy for 6 months. The Academy is a specialist provision for boys and girls living in Gloucestershire and surrounding counties who have a recognised need (Statement/Education Health & Care Plan) in the area of SEMH. The Peak Academy’s underpinning philosophy is to champion the vulnerable and unlock potential in young people. The school focuses on supporting and empowering girls and boys to equip them with the skills needed to address their individual learning and social & emotional needs, whilst raising their educational aspirations to achieve their true potential. Tom Hoskins compliments the values and ethos of the school with his relentless energy and drive to ‘unlock potential’. Pupils are excited to work with Tom and he has quickly become an embedded intervention across the school. Tom is quick to build warm, positive relationships with pupils. This is impressive as trust often takes time to develop with our type of learner. Put simply, Tom is a professional that makes a difference. I highly recommend his service to any school

M Jones 

Pastoral Manager

Tom has been working with our students for three terms and the impact he is having is so positive I cannot stress enough how invaluable he has been. He speaks to students for sometimes 5 minutes or maybe up to 30 minutes according to their needs. He is totally flexible and will rearrange at a moment’s notice or adapt if the students’ needs alter even during the day.
He works on motivation and being positive about solving barriers to life and learning. He is not a teacher at school and so in some ways the students are able to hear it from him and apply the strategies in a way that they can’t always from a teacher at our school. He does not become part of the furniture as he is only here once a week for a day . The students sometimes see even our fabulous permanent mentoring staff as teachers and so not on their side.
Tom has prevented several of our children from cascading down the FTE route leading to permanent exclusion. He has helped them to overcome fears about literacy and their abilities in other parts of the curriculum. He has helped them cope with issues at home ranging from sibling rivalry to serious sexual assaults. He is excellent with anxiety issues turning around one of our students in 6 weeks where we had been working with her for two years!
Tom has a very open manner and he communicates superbly to staff. I find his sympathetic manner translates to how staff is coping and helps both staff and students alike.

'Changing Lives'

Tom has an amazing way with kids. within 2 sessions he managed to get my son to open up.
three sessions in and I can already see improvements. Through his manner he's also given me hope that we can get through this and my son can be happy and confident agai
I would highly recommend Tom to anyone and everyone.

We Can Beat Anxiety

Totally recommend Tom. After a short space of time has worked wonders with my son, who finds it difficult to engage. Small steps but Tom is very patient and is slowly gaining my sons trust. Finally feel like we have hope and the help we have needed for a long time. Good work Tom

Positive Thoughts = Positive Outcomes

Tom has already been a great asset to mine and my 13yr olds relationship.
My son was in the middle of one of his outbursts tonight and within the 30 minute session Tom had managed to calm him down (which no-one else can) and get him to open up what was bothering him. I can’t express how great this feels as a concerned mum to know that someone can get through to my son and support him with all the different emotions teenagers go through
Highly recommend Tom, and looking forward to the journey we are all going on instead of dreading it!
Thank you �

Become The Driver in Your Life

My Daughter suffers from anxiety and has struggled to go into School, we have tried 3 secondary schools and recently have met Tom after her current school have introduced us. His approach is so different and I can already see after only two sessions that my daughter is starting to feel more positive about the future. it may be a little while before my daughter starts to feel comfortable about attending school however for the first time in 18 months I am starting to feel a lot more positive about the future and I am relaxing as a result. Thank you so much Tom I am sure with your support we will certainly get there.