‘Enjoyment is fundamental’: Campaigner’s vision to make PE inclusive for girls

A survey conducted by Studio You, a digital resource hub for PE teachers, found that periods, the hassle of getting changed and feeling self-conscious were stopping girls from enjoying PE.

Speaking to CYP Now, head of campaigns at Studio You and This Girl Can Kate Peers outlined the importance of girls enjoying PE and solutions to the challenges they encounter.

• Drawing and Talking Therapy chief Catherine Beagley on using creativity to support young people with SEND

• 'Our ambitions can change society': Girlguiding’s strategy director on organisation's future vision

Peers said that the overarching purpose of this research was to “amplify the voices of the girls and what they’ve told us”.

“It's about creating an atmosphere and a place for that discussion, to normalise some of these feelings that girls are having. There's really no solution but to talk about some of those barriers, with the hope to then overcome them.

“One of the barriers that was identified is that girls can feel self-conscious whilst being active, so anything to remove that self-consciousness barrier would be helpful,” she said.

Almost half of girls surveyed said that having a flexible kit would improve their enjoyment of PE. This would involve having a range of flexibility within the school uniform policy, such as allowing students to wear looser fitting or darker clothing to address barriers around periods and feeling self-conscious.

“Taking a leaf from Wimbledon and the Lionesses’ campaign to remove white shorts, this shows the importance of darker PE kits to make it easier for the girls.

“Another barrier that we found is that girls find it uncomfortable or stressful to change at school. I know a lot of schools are just encouraging students to come in their PE kit on the days they have PE, so they don't have to deal with the changing.”

Following on from their research, Studio You hosted a live broadcast event to discuss the benefits of PE and breaking down barriers to enjoying physical activity.

One of the topics that came up was how periods don’t have to be a hindrance to enjoying exercise.

“We discussed some of the ways that PE could help to alleviate some of the pain or discomfort that girls might feel when they're on their period. So rather than skipping PE, doing some gentle movement can actually help,” Peers explained.

Studio You has also partnered with Bodyform in a campaign around period education in response to this barrier. This comprises a series of educational videos to encourage period-related discussions with teachers.

The aim of the campaign is to create more awareness around periods and physical activity, as well as having, as Peers puts it, “what can be uncomfortable conversations, that shouldn’t be”.

Peers also emphasises the importance of enjoying PE during school as part of nurturing a positive relationship with physical activity.

“Physical activity brings many benefits for everyone, but particularly for teenagers in terms of better focus, boosting confidence or feelings of self-worth. So it's really important that we instil this love of being active or at least try to find a way that people can be active that works for them.”

This benefit doesn’t stop during teenage years, says Peers, highlighting the importance of being active in later life, particularly for women.

“It's important to be active throughout teens through to your 20s, and throughout childbearing years. Crucially, as women approach perimenopausal and menopausal years, it's really important to build up joint strength, to build muscles around bones to ensure stability and strength.”