New research shows how girls can be more active and less anxious at no extra cost
Published
A cost-free change to school uniform policy can free girls up to enjoy PE new research from Women in Sport, Youth Sport Trust and the Association for Physical Education has found.
Allowing pupils to wear their PE uniform all day on days they have the subject had a significant impact on girls’ experiences of PE and physical activity in schools where the policy was introduced.
The Fit to Learn pilot, which ran across 12 schools in England in conjunction with leading multi-academy trust United Learning and Youth Sport Trust, found that introducing this policy increased physical activity amongst girls and meant more time spent in the PE lesson itself, rather than the changing rooms.
Nearly two-thirds (59%) of girls said it created more opportunities to be active throughout the school day, whilst 61% said it helped them be them more active in PE lessons. These impacts were felt even by girls who have never considered themselves sporty, with almost half (43%) saying the change had helped them be more active. The positive effects were significant for girls and boys from diverse backgrounds, low-income backgrounds and those with SEND.
The research also showed how the change reduced girls’ anxiety about the changing room experience. One Year 7 pupil described worrying about getting changed in front of others “three lessons before” PE, saying the anxiety distracted her learning throughout the day. Following the pilot, one in four girls reported feeling less anxious or worried about getting changed in front of others, while 60% said they enjoyed PE more.
PE teachers found Fit to Learn had a positive impact. 75% felt that the policy saved a lot of time, whilst 88% said they had more time to teach. One senior leader involved in the project said: “If you were to lose 10% of a maths lesson or 10% of an English lesson, someone would be saying something’s going wrong. Yet in PE it was almost expected because pupils had to get changed.”
59% of girls
said they had more opportunities to be active throughout the school day
88% of teachers
said the policy meant they had more time to teach PE at school
The findings come as Women in Sport, Youth Sport Trust and the Association for PE launch a new set of Fit to Learn resources during National School Sport Week and encourage schools and governments across the UK to support the introduction of PE kit on PE day policies.
Fit to Learn proved overwhelmingly popular with pupils – boys and girls – with 72% saying they wanted the policy to continue. Girls were more likely than boys to support the change, highlighting the positive impact the pilot had on girls who are too often disengaged from PE and sport, yet depend more on school for this than boys.
Women in Sport CEO, Stephanie Hilborne OBE, said: ”For decades girls have been expected to battle through PE and school systems that were never designed with them in mind. Female puberty is a challenge at the best of times, there is not enough support or education to help girls, and 70% of even the most sporty girls normally avoid PE on their period. Being expected to change in a collective environment can be the final straw.
“Sport should be about releasing anxiety not fuelling it. It should be about freedom, not fear. This research proves that girls are not born hating PE, they are dealt a raw deal and will get more active and enjoy PE more if we give them the chance.
“This is not about schools compromising on their standards. It is about recognising that many of the barriers girls face are not inevitable. If a cost-free change can have this level of impact, it should make us question how else we could improve the lives of girls if we put them front of mind.
“Every girl deserves to feel that sport and physical activity are for her, and schools have a critical role to play in making that happen.”
Alison Oliver MBE, CEO of Youth Sport Trust, said: “This campaign contributes to a growing body of evidence that uniforms, and PE kits in particular, play a significant role in shaping girls’ experiences and attitudes towards PE and in turn their general activity levels.
“Innovative and creative solutions like more active school uniforms and inclusive PE kit policies can be incredibly powerful in changing young people’s attitudes and motivation to be more active, as well as simply creating more time and opportunity to move and play. The fact that so many teachers reported allowing students to wear their kit to school on the days they have PE creates more time for teaching is particularly important when we know valuable lesson time can be lost in the changing room.
“As we celebrate National School Sports Week, we hope this research helps schools think outside the box when it comes to increasing physical activity levels, supporting young people’s physical, social and emotional wellbeing, and tackling the barriers experienced by too many young women. Movements like Fit to Learn, Active Uniforms and Inclusive Sportswear do not present a silver bullet to the issues facing PE and school sport provision, but they do offer schools an example to follow.”
Shaun Dowling, Head of Sport at United Learning said: “When one of the girls I spoke to during the study said that getting changed for PE was the most stressful part of her week in school, I was more convinced than ever that this policy, if implemented effectively, could be a game-changer for girls’ wellbeing and levels of physical activity.
“I am thrilled that so many United Learning academies were willing to take part in this study and thank those trailblazer Head Teachers for enabling such important research to be undertaken in their schools. It is not just the feedback and first-hand stories from girls that have been so powerful in this study, I have also spoken with PE teachers who have revelled in more time for learning, found systems more straightforward and report seeing girls being far more active in the playgrounds throughout the school day.
“Whilst I recognise that this is not necessarily a simple solution for every school and would require thoughtful implementation, I hope that school leaders will take note of and welcome this Fit to Learn research with a view to better supporting girls’ participation, engagement and enjoyment in PE and school sport.”
Kate Thornton-Bousfield, CEO of the Association for Physical Education said: ”Physical Education has the power to change lives, but for many girls it may also be the only consistent opportunity they have to be active. That makes it absolutely essential that we create PE environments where every girl feels comfortable, included and confident to take part. When girls feel a sense of belonging in PE, they are far more likely to stay engaged, develop a positive relationship with movement and ultimately find the activities they enjoy and want to continue beyond school.
“PE kit plays a significant role in this experience. What young people wear can influence how confident they feel, whether they participate fully and how they perceive physical activity. Schools have an important opportunity to review policies and practices to ensure they remove, rather than create, barriers to participation.
“As we work collectively to develop a future PE curriculum that places greater emphasis on inclusion, belonging and meaningful engagement, it is vital that wider school policies, including PE kit policies, align with these ambitions. The Fit to Learn campaign and its new resources provide schools with practical, evidence-informed guidance to help create environments where all young people, particularly girls, can thrive.
There is no single solution to tackling the challenges we face around participation and physical activity levels, but by getting the PE environment right and listening to the voices of young people, we can help more girls fall in love with movement, build lifelong positive habits and discover their own pathway to being active.”
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