Far from PE-rfect : How can we improve PE for teenage girls? -Part one

Following on from an article I published last week, I wanted to explore some of the possible solutions there might be to improving PE for teenage girls.

I don’t believe I’m in a position to say what would make PE perfect for teenage girls. Firstly, and most importantly because I’m not a teenage girl anymore, and secondly because not all teenage girls are the same. However, it is something I spend a lot of time talking to teenage girls about, and so I can share my thoughts on things that could be done to help to improve their experiences.

I’ve split this article into two. This first half explores issues around the body: The Kit, The Changing Rooms, and Puberty. Next week’s looks at issues around practicalities and spaces: The Space, The Class, and The Activities and Timetabling.

The kit

Girls often say they don’t like their PE kit, and actually beyond not liking it, have sometimes told me that it has a direct impact on their non-participation.  

I think any PE kit should be designed with teenage girls’ changing bodies in mind. A traditional PE kit can often be exposing. I remember in my school we wore tiny pleated mini skirts for netball and shorts down to our knees for hockey. Regarding girls’ sports kit more generally, it’s not good enough that we still dress girls in the same kit that boys have always been wearing. It doesn’t fit well anyway, but it fits even worse when girls’ bodies change as they hit puberty. Brands like Grace Vella 's MISS KICK are doing this just right by simply asking girls what they like, what they don't like, and what they want.

Wherever possible, I really believe that giving girls more freedom to wear kit that they feel comfortable in is the key. A standard PE top or jumper with the school’s logo and branding can always be paired with either leggings, joggers, shorts, or a skirt. Why does it matter if one girl plays football in leggings and another in shorts? As adults, we choose what to wear because it makes us feel good, we should give teenage girls the same rights.

The changing rooms

The changing rooms are probably one of the most talked-about barriers among the girls I’ve worked with, and I don’t think there’s an easy, short-term solution to this. Getting changed in a room of 30 other people as a teenager is often described to me as uncomfortable, and awkward, and I remember feeling the same myself. Dreading getting changed before and after PE has a very real impact on girls’ engagement (or disengagement) with the lesson, and so I think PE spaces need to be designed in a way that takes these very real barriers and their implications into consideration. I’d love to see changing rooms which offer a degree of increased privacy, in the form of partitions or doors, because currently, for a lot of girls, getting changed is another instance where girls feel exposed and vulnerable and this becomes a pattern associated with PE at school. Shorter term, I wonder if there is a way of allowing girls to change in the toilets, to stage their changing times, or if they prefer, to remain in kit for the day they have PE.

Puberty

Women in Sport (2022) found that around 7 in 10 girls avoid being active when they’re on their period. That is a hugely significant statistic. I believe that education around periods and puberty for teenage girls can provide an important opportunity to tackle existing stigma. PE teachers have an opportunity to talk to their girls about the importance of being active whilst going through the physical and emotional challenges of puberty. In addition to this, as a compulsory school subject which is all about moving around and being active, I think PE generally holds a responsibility to make period products available to any girls that need them, especially if this is a barrier which is preventing them from being active.

Puberty also means rapidly changing bodies and behaviours. Teenage girls might start to wear makeup and do their hair because this makes them feel good and fit in. Perhaps this is an unpopular suggestion, but I think we should allow girls to take part in sport in whatever way they feel most comfortable and empowered to do so. If girls feel better, stronger, and more confident with some makeup, I believe that is an easy, quick fix which can contribute to their improved engagement, increased activity levels, and long-term healthier relationship with being active.

All of these barriers are very real issues that teenage girls are facing today, and it’s important to contextualise these struggles. For many teenage girls, PE might be the only opportunity they have to be active all week, so we have a responsibility to make sure that we are meeting their needs and keeping PE relevant, engaging, and enjoyable.

#ourgoal #PE #teenagegirls