The impact of wearing PE uniform all day on PE days at school
Our research shows that by allowing students to wear their PE uniforms all day on PE days, schools can help reduce girls’ anxiety, increase physical activity and give teachers more time to teach.
We piloted this cost-free change across 12 schools and the results were clear. Download the report below to discover what we found.
6 in 10 girls
said the policy helped them be more active throughout the school day
88% of teachers
said the change gave them more time to teach PE
“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.” – School Senior Leader
About the pilot
The Fit to Learn pilot, led by Women in Sport and supported by leading multi-academy trust United Learning and the Youth Sport Trust, ran across 12 schools and found that allowing pupils to wear their PE uniform on PE days had a significant impact on girls’ experiences of PE and physical activity.
Key findings:
- 63% of girls felt it was easier to take part in PE when on their period
- 59% of girls said it created more opportunities for them to be active throughout the school day
- 45% of girls said it made them more active on their journeys to and from school
- 30% of girls felt less stressed and anxious
- Around 7 in 10 pupils and PE teachers wanted the policy to continue
- 75% of teachers said it saved ‘a lot of time’
Case studies
Explore the case studies below to read about some of the schools that took part in the Fit to Learn pilot and the positive changes the policy made for girls and their schools.
Women in Sport’s ask
The findings of this research show that when girls wear PE uniform all day on PE days, they’re fit to learn and free to play.
That’s why Women in Sport is calling on schools and governments across the UK to introduce the policy: PE uniform all day on PE days.
To explore the full findings and explore our recommendations, download the full report below.
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