Empowering live event helps tackle PE enjoyment gap

We’re still buzzing after Wednesday’s inspirational live event by Studio You, which took its mission to a school in East London and an audience of more than 40,000 pupils watching online around the country. 

BBC Radio 1Xtra presenter Swarzy was our electric host as a panel of relatable voices shared their personal stories, challenged negative narratives, and tackled taboos, with the aim of changing the way girls look at physical activity. 

The venue was Mulberry Academy in Shoreditch, where students were joined by more than 1,000 secondary schools virtually to listen to the informal discussion between the diverse panellists, who included: 

• Lucy and Emily, ambassadors for the Big Sister project, a Women in Sport initiative that aims to provide practical solutions to help girls navigate their journey through puberty and exercise.
• Founder of Empowered Movement, Nike instructor and original Studio You dance instructor Tia Denton. 
• Our This Girl Can campaign activation manager Dani Ward, who looks after the Studio You project. 
• NHS doctor, qualified personal trainer and host of the Vision of Health podcast Dr Frankie Jackson-Spence. 

Between them, they offered insight on topics such as puberty and stereotypes in sport, giving practical advice on how to tackle some of the barriers to girls getting active. 

The panel also tackled some misconceptions when it comes to periods and getting active, helping to normalise that this is a challenge faced by many women and girls. 

And they took questions from the audience, whose enthusiasm and engagement contributed to the success of a powerful event that was full of energy and positivity. 

"The event was brilliant," Dani said. "Our research found that girls find PE ‘embarrassing’ and stressful’. The lack of enjoyment girls are getting from PE is really worrying, particularly when it’s barriers like puberty and feeling self-conscious that are holding them back. No girl should feel that PE isn’t for them. 

"We really hope the event helped girls to realise that getting active can take lots of different forms and not to feel like they can’t enjoy them because they’re not ‘sporty enough’. There are so many positives of teenagers getting active: better focus, boosted confidence, feelings of self-worth.

"Our panellists really focused on this and the live chat was buzzing with help and advice. I hope if girls take just one thing away from the event, it’s that movement and activity is for everyone. Labels like sporty and not sporty aren’t helpful – at Studio You, we’re here to help girls find what feels right for them."

We'll be posting some of the content from the live event across our This Girl Can and Sport England social channels over the next week.

We'll also share an on-demand recording of the event for those who missed it over the next week – keep your eyes on our socials for updates. 

It’ll help your students discover there is so much variety when it comes to getting active; there is no 'one size fits all' mould that girls need to fit into. You can do it for fun, friendship or to try something new. There’s something for everyone. 

What’s more, physical activity brings many other benefits to students, from boosting confidence to improving behaviour, academic performance and engagement in school.

We know that physical education is a great way to get more girls moving, yet secondary-aged girls, on average, skip twice as many PE lessons in a school term compared to boys. 

That’s why, three years ago, we partnered with Hopscotch Consulting to launch Studio You, a curriculum-linked platform designed to help every girl, of every background and ability, enjoy PE. 

Through free online, inclusive video lessons and an educational Teacher Hub, it brings the energy and ambition of This Girl Can into schools and aims to empower PE teachers to engage even their most inactive girls. 

But recent findings by Studio You show girls are still enjoying PE less than boys. 

And because enjoyment is one of the biggest drivers when it comes to getting active, there’s still work to do to make PE inclusive for all girls. The stats tell the story: 

• Nearly half of girls (49%) say they’d drop PE completely if given the choice, compared with less than a third of boys (32%). 
• While boys describe PE as "exciting" (33%) and "engaging" (26%), girls think of it as "embarrassing" (30%) and "stressful" (28%). 
• Three in five girls (61%) report feeling self-conscious in PE class, compared with only two in five of boys (39%). 

We hope this week’s special event will spark action and inspire both teachers and students to close this ‘enjoyment gap’.