DfE urged to tackle girls' anxieties around PE kits

The Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) has urged the DfE to urgently review how it tackles girls' anxieties around PE.

In its report, ‘Health barriers for girls and women in sport, the committee recommends the DfE reviews the quality and timeliness of education on girls' health and physiology, including the effects of puberty, the menstrual cycle, and periods in the context of PE and school sport.

The report says the sector overall “must do better” when it comes to kit and equipment, which is properly researched and designed for their health and performance needs.

The evidence on girls' anxieties around PE kit is “overwhelming”, the committee said, and called on the DfE and the recently established National Physical Activity Task Force to review guidance for schools on school PE kit, with the aim of ensuring all schools permit the widest possible choice for girls.

The report recommended Sport England launch a new strand of the "This Girl Can" campaign aimed at parents, tackling early years gender stereotypes around physical activity and sport.

Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, Rt Hon Caroline Nokes MP said: “As the Committee’s report clearly shows, there needs to be an equal focus on tackling the health barriers for females in sport at all stages. It is time for a more effective and better coordinated, cross-departmental, sector-wide approach, benefitting women and girls throughout their sporting lives from early years, through puberty and motherhood, to midlife and beyond.”

Ali Oliver, CEO of Youth Sport Trust said: “We know there are many barriers for girls when it comes to taking part in physical activity and sport, but evidence shows that targeted interventions work. 97% of leaders and 58% of participants on our Girls Active programme in schools felt more confident to take part in sport and physical activity after taking part in the programme, with similar figures reported for increased enjoyment. Learning lessons from programmes such as this, providing safe places for physical activity and re-imagining PE to make it a core subject, will have a huge impact on the health and wellbeing of girls and young women.”