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Introduction
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Girls Active supports schools to understand what motivates adolescent girls to take
part in physical activity and enables them to work with their female students – through
consultation and leadership – to make the necessary changes to their physical education
(PE) and sport provision. Developed by the Youth Sport Trust, and delivered in partnership
with Women in Sport, Girls Active is funded by Sport England. In 2015/16, 140 schools
across 15 counties in England were involved.
As part of the Girls Active process, schools implement a pre-intervention survey with the girls. By November
2015, over 10,000 girls had completed the survey. The findings show that there are significant differences
in participation between groups of girls, with disabled girls and girls from non-White-British backgrounds
having lowest levels of participation. Feedback from schools also highlighted that many teachers lack
confidence in targeting these groups and would like more guidance on how to engage them. Consequently,
a small group of schools worked with the Youth Sport Trust on projects that targeted specific groups of girls.
Purpose of the Guide
This guide is based on the findings from the survey and lessons learnt from the schools’ projects. It focuses on
three groups of girls:
• girls from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds
• girls with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
• girls making the transition from primary to secondary school (Transition).
The guide aims to support Girls Active schools to better meet the needs of these girls by:
• identifying key findings and opportunities from the survey
• sharing the schools’ examples of practice
• highlighting transferable success factors
• demonstrating the Girls Active principles in action.
To read and
download
the schools’
stories in full,
please visit:
Girls Active Principles
There are six key principles that underpin
effective practice in engaging girls in PE
and sport. These have positive relationships
at their core and should be supported by
whole school practices.

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Key Issues
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Participation
Nearly a quarter (24%) of 11-16 year old girls do no physical activity
outside of school. Participation decreases as girls get older. BAME girls
and girls with SEND have lower levels of participation than other groups.
Do not take part in extracurricular
school sport
9MINS
31%
Non-disabled girls
39%
Girls with SEND
On average, girls with SEND do 9 minutes
less physical activity per day than nondisabled
girls
Attitudes to PE and sport
On average, BAME girls do 12 minutes less physical
activity per day than White girls
12MINS
Just over three-quarters (79%) of girls do like taking part in PE. Enjoyment decreases as girls get older. More
girls with SEND dislike PE than their non-disabled peers. Although roughly the same proportion of BAME
girls as White girls likes PE, this masks differences between ethnic groups, with Black girls liking PE more than
Asian girls.
Do not like taking part in PE
80%
36%
BAME girls
KS4 girls
30%
Do not take part in sport
KS3 girls
outside of school
Levels of daily physical activity
Like taking part in PE
71%
52%
31%
20%
White girls
Look forward to PE
41%
KS3 girls 32%
KS4 girls 16%
Believe PE is relevant to their wider lives
White girls 20%
BAME girls 30%
Say school work is more important than taking part in physical activity
Non-disabled girls 45%
Girls with SEND 54%
Feel strongly encouraged by school to take part in PE and sport
Motivations
Prefer to
participate
in PE in
friendship
groups
25%
35%
Motivated
by
developing
new skills
47%
52%
Motivated
by
competition
27%
38%
Barriers
The two greatest barriers to girls’
participation in PE and sport are
them believing they don’t have
time and that their school work
is more important. These barriers
become greater as girls get
older and school work is an even
greater priority for BAME girls
than it is for White girls. Only a
minority of girls feel that PE and
sport are relevant to their wider
lives and, while girls with SEND
are most likely to think school
does encourage them to take part
in PE and sport, most girls do not.
The two strongest motives for girls’ participation in PE and sport are to have fun and to be healthy, regardless
of how they are grouped. As they become older, more girls are motivated by social factors, such as wanting
to look and feel good and spend time with friends. White girls are most likely to be motivated by these social
factors while BAME girls are more motivated than White girls by achievement factors, such as developing
new skills, setting goals and winning, although this varies between ethnic groups. Girls with SEND have a
stronger preference for participating in friendship groups than non-disabled girls.
Motivated by social factors in addition to friendship
26%
KS3 girls
37%
KS4 girls
42%
KS3 girls
52%
KS4 girls
Girls with SEND
Non-disabled girls
KS3 girls
KS4 girls
Black girls
Asian girls
5%
Nondisabled
girls
11%
Girls
with
SEND
KS3 girls
KS4 girls
Black girls
Asian girls
Want to look good.
Want to feel good.
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Self-belief
Almost half of girls do not feel
confident and their confidence
declines as they get older. BAME
girls are slightly more confident
than White girls but there is no real
difference between girls with SEND
and non-disabled girls. The greatest
difference in confidence is linked to
activity levels: more-active girls are
more likely to feel confident than
less-active girls.
KS3 girls
Agree they are confident
58% 46% 67% 50%
KS4 girls
More-active girls
Less-active
girls
Leadership
Girls want more leadership opportunities
than they currently have. This unmet
demand is noticeably high for less-active
girls. While a higher proportion of girls with
SEND are leaders than non-disabled girls
(perhaps due to the involvement of special
schools), they also want a greater say in
their schools’ PE and sport provision. Actual
leadership by BAME and White girls is very
similar but significantly more BAME girls
would like to lead and do feel confident
about influencing their peers.
Are confident
they can
influence their
peers
Would like to
shape PE and
sport
55% Black girls
50% White girls
49% Girls
with SEND
39%
Nondisabled
girls
31% would like
to be leaders
63% would
like to be
leaders
5% are
currently
leaders
20% are
currently
leaders
Lessactive
girls
All girls
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Girls from Black, Asian and
Minority Ethnic Backgrounds
“I’VE LEARNT HOW
TO WORK AS A TEAM
AND TO APPRECIATE
OTHER PEOPLE’S
CONTRIBUTIONS.”
YEAR 9 GIRL, AL SADIQ AND AL
ZAHRA SCHOOL
“NOW I CAN SEE WHY
MANAGING YOUR TIME
IS SO IMPORTANT.
THAT WILL HELP ME IN
EVERYDAY LIFE TOO.”
YEAR 10 GIRL, AL SADIQ AND AL
ZAHRA SCHOOL
“THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH WORDS
TO DESCRIBE HOW MUCH WE
HAVE ALL ENJOYED IT AND LEARNT
AT THE SAME TIME. GIRLS ACTIVE
AND GIRLS LEAD THE FIELD ARE
MAKING A HUGE IMPACT IN TERMS
OF RAISING AWARENESS OF HOW
IMPORTANT PE IS.”
PE TEACHER, AL SADIQ AND AL ZAHRA SCHOOL
“THE DADS COMMENTED ON THEIR
INCREASED UNDERSTANDING OF THE
IMPORTANCE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TO
THEIR DAUGHTERS’ HEALTH, WELLBEING
AND EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AND
BEGAN TO RECOGNISE THE NEED FOR
THE GIRLS TO BE ABLE TO RELAX AS
WELL AS STUDY IF THEY ARE TO FULFIL
THEIR ACADEMIC POTENTIAL.”
HEAD OF PE, THE HEATHLAND SCHOOL
“ONE OF THE SKILLS
I HAVE LEARNT IS
LUNGING, WHEN YOU
STEP FORWARD TO
YOUR OPPONENT…
IT’S LIKE WHAT YOU
DO IN LIFE. YOU STEP
FORWARD TO GET
WHAT YOU WANT.”
YEAR 8 GIRL, FREDERICK BREMER
SCHOOL (QUOTED IN ‘DON’T
FENCE ME IN’)
“A LOT OF THE GIRLS
SPOKE ABOUT HOW
FENCING MADE THEM FEEL
MORE CONFIDENT…”
LATIFA AKAY, MASHALA PROJECT
MANAGER (QUOTED IN ‘ALJAZEERA’)
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Introduction
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Of the 10,000 girls who took part in the Girls Active pre-intervention survey, 32 per cent identified themselves
as being from Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. Ten per cent of girls preferred not to state
their ethnic origin. Of the BAME girls:
• 41% were from Asian/Asian British backgrounds
• 27% were from multiple ethnic groups
• 23% were from Black African/Caribbean/British backgrounds.
While there are significantly lower rates of participation in physical activity by BAME girls than White
girls, there are differences in attitude between the different ethnic groups. Therefore, although this guide
highlights some approaches for raising BAME girls’ levels of participation, schools still need to consider their
own student populations and consult with the girls to identify local solutions.
Findings
Opportunities
• Few BAME girls achieve the recommended
physical activity levels, and levels of activity
are lowest among Asian girls.
• BAME girls are least likely to take part in
active recreation or sport in the community.
• Higher numbers of BAME girls, particularly
Asian girls, like learning at school
generally.
• BAME girls are most likely to say school
work is more important than PE and sport.
• Black girls are more likely than Asian or
White girls to see the relevance of PE skills.
• More Asian girls than other girls state lack
of time as a barrier to participation.
• Asian girls are more likely to prefer taking
part in PE and sport in single-sex groups.
• Black girls are most likely to prefer being
grouped by ability in PE and sport.
• BAME girls are more motivated by
achievement factors, i.e. developing
skills, setting goals and, for Black girls,
competing.
• More BAME girls than White girls feel there
are too few role models for them.
• BAME girls are the most likely to want to
take on leadership roles and influence
peers.
• Black girls feel more confident, creative
and aspirational than White girls.
• There is a mismatch between Black girls’
desired and actual levels of participation.
Read the full
stories at:
• Show the relevance of physical activity to
the girls’ lives now, e.g. to alleviate exam
stress.
• Consult with girls to identify activity
sessions to suit them, e.g. drop in and out
slots.
• Promote the link between participation in
physical activity and achievement in school
– to the girls, their families and school staff.
• Reinforce the learning, life and work skills
that girls can learn through PE and sport,
making the link to personal records and
CVs.
• Provide opportunities for girls to pursue
personal motivations, with a particular
focus on their preferred achievement
factors.
• Change the way girls are grouped in
PE to maximise their enjoyment and
engagement.
• Work with local partners to improve girls’
transition to community sport and activity.
• Enable girls to adopt a range of leadership
roles as a way to engage them and help
them to meet their wider aspirations.
• Invest in girls as role models and peerinfluencers
– for now and in the future.
• Work with girls to identify alternative role
models – in sport and life – famous and not.
• Trust girls and give them real responsibility
for shaping girls’ PE and sport in school.
• Encourage the girls to discuss the social
and cultural factors that affect their lives.
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Schools’ Examples
Al Sadiq and Al Zahra School – an independent Islamic faith school in Brent
• Issues: Girls did not see the relevance of PE and sport to their lives and viewed PE lessons as an
opportunity just to play fun games rather than learn anything. The PE teacher wanted to help girls
understand the value of PE and sport to their wider learning and employability skills.
• Intervention: Through the Youth Sport Trust’s Girls Lead the Field, 14 girls from Years 9 and 10 worked
with athlete mentor Cath Bishop, a former Olympic rower and diplomat. Cath ran leadership and life skills
sessions before supporting the girls to plan and run a multi-activity event for the school’s Year 1 and 2
pupils. To secure resources, the girls had to pitch ideas to a Dragons’ Den-style panel. This was the first
event in school to be delivered by female students.
• Impact: The girls increased in confidence, self-efficacy, empathy, team-working, leadership skills and
creativity. Staff were impressed by the girls’ previously unrecognised abilities. It changed younger pupils’
perception of girls and raised their aspirations and expectations.
Frederick Bremer School – an 11-16 mixed-sex secondary school in Walthamstow
• Issues: Muslim girls face many misconceptions about their lives; this can have a negative effect on their
confidence and aspirations. The school wanted to improve girls’ health and wellbeing while Maslaha,
the community partner, wanted to change the way the girls are perceived. This coincided with British
Fencing’s desire to challenge traditional perceptions of its sport.
• Intervention: With funding from Sport England, British Fencing and Maslaha created Muslim Girls Fence.
Around 20 girls from the school took part in the pilot, participating in weekly fencing lessons alongside
sessions that explored their identities and aspirations as Muslim girls. The programme culminated in
an engagement day during which some of the students mentored girls from other schools. The girls’
journeys were captured in a film: Don’t Fence Me In.
• Impact: The girls’ engagement and confidence increased, particularly those who were quiet in other
areas of school life and who hadn’t perceived themselves as good at sport. The girls also developed their
communication skills, through mentoring others and speaking to the media.
The Heathland School – a community comprehensive school for 11-18 year olds in
Hounslow
• Issues: From Year 8 onwards, girls’ participation drops sharply. Most of the girls are from Asian
backgrounds and, typically, parents do not see physical activity as being important for their daughters.
They underestimate how much the girls should be doing. As fathers are the main influencers at home, the
school wanted to raise their awareness of the value of physical activity.
• Intervention: Having consulted with its Girls Active leaders, the PE department ran a Dads and Daughters
event on an evening. Activities included climbing, trampolining, badminton, table tennis and dance, and
participation was informal. The Girls Active leaders designed and issued leaflets and both leaders and PE
staff chatted to the dads about healthy lifestyles. In addition, the school runs a breakfast-time aerobics
session for girls on two mornings each week and girls-only badminton sessions, at the girls’ request.
• Impact: The families were very positive and dads commented on their increased understanding of
the value of physical activity to their daughters’ health, wellbeing and educational achievement. Girls’
participation in extra-curricular sessions has increased.
Find out how the Youth Sport Trust can help schools to develop girls’ life skills.
Visit the website and, under Solutions, search for: My Personal Best;
Volunteering in school sport; Young Ambassadors; Lead 2 Employability; and
Sky Sports Living for Sport.
SCAN ME!
https://www.youthsporttrust.org/solutions
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Success Factors
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• Take time to have open and meaningful discussions with the girls; make sure staff actively listen to the
girls rather than relying on assumptions.
• Be explicit about how physical activity will support the girls to develop learning, life and work skills;
make links to their studies, personal records of achievement, CVs and future employment.
• Offer new opportunities that develop different skills, helping to challenge girls’ perceptions about their
and others’ competence; avoid ‘sporty’ and ‘non-sporty’ as pre-determining labels.
• Deploy staff who have the skills to engage the girls rather than focusing on their technical skills.
• Fully involve the girls in designing, promoting and running activities.
• Constantly drip-feed messages about the link between physical activity and achievement to senior
leaders; be resilient and determined even if it takes time to gain their support.
• Share the work, and its impact on the girls’ wider skills, with as many staff as possible.
• Encourage the girls to share their experiences and wider learning with their families; involve family
members as a way to engage their support for girls’ involvement in physical activity.
• Be explicit about challenging stereotypes – in sport, gender and culture – and engage the girls in these
wider debates.
• Make sure you have some early ‘wins’ even if deeper change takes time. Encourage the girls to talk
about and celebrate their achievements.
Girls Active principles in action
• Make PE and sport relevant to girls’ lives
• Al Sadiq and Al Zahra – girls developing learning, life and work skills
• Frederick Bremer – girls addressing misconceptions about their culture
• The Heathland – girls participating at times to suit them
• Empower girls through involving them in design and delivery
• Al Sadiq and Al Zahra – girls leading an event for younger pupils
• The Heathland – girls providing written and verbal advice on healthy lifestyles
• Develop role models for the future
• Al Sadiq and Al Zahra – younger pupils seeing girls take on different roles
• Frederick Bremer – Muslim girls mentoring other girls at a community event
• Place the development of self-confidence at the heart of PE and sport
• Frederick Bremer – girls exploring their identities through sport
• The Heathland – girls choosing how they take part: recreation or competition
• Recognise the power of friends to drive progress
• Frederick Bremer – girls participating in discrete sessions for Muslim girls
• Take a long-term approach to engaging girls
• Al Sadiq and Al Zahra – senior leaders becoming aware of the importance of PE
• Frederick Bremer – community partners helping to break down stereotypes
• The Heathland – families becoming aware of the value of physical activity
Need to fit all of GA principles in action on to previous page
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Girls with Special Educational
Needs and Disabilities
NEED PHOTO OF GIRLS WITH SEND PARTICIPATING
“WHAT A WONDERFUL
OPPORTUNITY FOR
OUR FEMALE PUPILS
TO ACCESS SPORT AS A
SOLELY FEMALE GROUP.”
TEACHER, RIVERSIDE SCHOOL
“WE WERE DELIGHTED
TO SEE SO MANY
GIRLS TAKING ON
DIFFERENT ROLES
AND JUST ENJOYING
THE DAY.”
HEAD OF PE, MARJORIE
MCCLURE SCHOOL
“IT INCREASED THE GIRLS’ SELF-
ESTEEM AS THEY WERE PROUD
OF THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS. THEY
ENJOYED INTEGRATING WITH THE
GIRLS [FROM OTHER SCHOOLS],
LEARNING TEAM WORK AND CO-
OPERATION.”
HEAD OF PE, GLEBE SCHOOL
“WHEN I HAD NO CONFIDENCE
I COULDN’T DO THAT BUT NOW I
CAN RUN A GROUP ON MY OWN.”
GIRLS ACTIVE LEADER, SLATED ROW
SCHOOL
“I THINK MAKING IT FEMALE-
ONLY GIVES A WONDERFUL
OPPORTUNITY TO THE GIRLS AT
OUR SCHOOL… WE ARE GOING
TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT
EVENTS LIKE THIS WHILE TRYING
TO IMPLEMENT OUR OWN
FEMALE-ONLY SESSIONS.”
PE COORDINATOR, RIVERSIDE SCHOOL
“NOW I FEEL I CAN STAND UP
IN FRONT OF PEOPLE. THAT’S
GIVEN ME CONFIDENCE.”
GIRLS ACTIVE LEADER, SLATED ROW
SCHOOL
“WITH THEIR SELF-ESTEEM – AND
THEY ARE PROUD – AND FOR OTHER
STUDENTS TO SEE THAT AND TO SEE
THEIR ROLE. THEY CAN SEE THAT THEY
ARE IN THAT DIFFERENT ROLE AND THEY
HAVE MORE OF A PRESENCE.”
PE TEACHER, SLATED ROW SCHOOL
“STUDENTS ARE MORE LIKELY TO
THINK I MIGHT GIVE THAT A GO…
SO PEER PRESSURE IS A REALLY
GOOD THING.”
PE TEACHER, SLATED ROW SCHOOL
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Introduction
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Of the 10,000 girls who took part in the Girls Active pre-intervention survey, 3 per cent identified themselves
as disabled or, in education terms, as having a special educational need or disability (SEND). In terms of
statistical analysis, this does provide sufficient data from which to evaluate their responses. (In the UK, 6 per
cent of children are identified as disabled, with boys having a higher rate of disability than girls.) The survey
did not differentiate between different types of impairments.
A large proportion of the girls with SEND who participated in the survey are from special schools. This may
mean that their experience of PE and school sport is different from that of girls with SEND in mainstream
schools. The data does not make this distinction. Therefore, although this guide highlights some approaches
for raising levels of participation by girls with SEND, schools still need to consider their own student
populations and consult with the girls to identify local solutions.
Findings
Opportunities
• Fewer girls with SEND take part in extracurricular
sport than non-disabled girls.
• Girls with SEND are less physically active
each day than their non-disabled peers.
• More girls with SEND dislike participating
in physical activity than non-disabled girls.
• Girls with SEND are more likely to prefer
taking part in friendship groups than their
non-disabled peers.
• Swimming is the most popular sport for
girls with SEND whereas non-disabled girls
only rank it in fifth place.
• Girls with SEND are more likely to feel
strongly encouraged by their school to
take part in PE and sport.
• A higher proportion of the girls with SEND
who were surveyed are leaders compared
to non-disabled girls.
• More girls with SEND than non-disabled
girls would like a greater say in their
schools’ PE and sport provision.
• There is no significant difference in stated
levels of confidence between girls with
SEND and their non-disabled peers.
• Disabled adults are less than half as likely
to take part in sport as non-disabled adults.
• Focus on the girls’ abilities, not disabilities.
• Consult with the girls rather than making
assumptions based on their impairments.
• Make sure all deliverers have the skills,
confidence and attitude to include the girls
in physical activity sessions.
• Explore with the girls why, if they do feel
encouraged to take part, their actual
participation is low, e.g. is it about the PE
and sport offer or are there other barriers?
• Find out why participating with friends is
important to the girls and draw on these
aspects, e.g. is it about disability, age,
needs, interests or confidence?
• Use the power of friendship groups
to encourage and support the girls to
participate, e.g. girls as role models,
buddies, promoters, motivators and
organisers.
• Make sure the girls have a greater say in
shaping PE and sport provision in school.
• Provide and support the girls to take on
more leadership opportunities.
• Work with local partners to improve the
girls’ transition to community sport.
• Work with families to increase their
awareness of how girls can be active
beyond school and the value of them
being active.
Read the full
stories at:
9

TEACHERS
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Schools’ Examples
Marjorie McClure School – a special school for 3-19 year olds in Bromley
• Issues: As there are roughly twice as many boys in the school than girls, the PE department was aware
that girls’ interests could sometimes be outweighed by boys’ interests within PE and sport. It also felt that
the girls needed additional encouragement to be physically active.
• Intervention: In partnership with Panathlon Challenge and Crystal Palace FC, the school ran a girls-only
football event to coincide with Euro 2016. Selected girls from the special school were buddied with girls
from Coopers, the mainstream school with which it shares a site, and trained as event leaders. They took
on a wide range of roles that played to their personal strengths. Seven other special schools attended the
event, which included an opening ceremony, football skills activities and a tournament for mixed-school
teams. Girls were awarded medals for participation and for demonstrating the school’s values. Their
achievements were celebrated through a photo montage shown in assembly and a film posted on the
school’s website.
• Impact: Both participants and leaders were very positive about the event. As well as raising awareness of
girls’ participation in sport, it supported the development of their social and team work skills. The leaders
gained confidence and built relationships with their non-disabled peers while students across the school
now see them as positive role models.
Slated Row School – a special school for 4-19 year olds in Milton Keynes
• Issues: The number of boys at the school far outweighs the number of girls so, during lunchtimes, boys
dominated the activity space. The school wanted to increase girls’ levels of daily physical activity by
enabling them to take more responsibility for their own routines.
• Intervention: Seven girls were recruited as Girls Active leaders. They ranged in age from 12-19 (as
students are grouped by ability not age in school) and tended to be the ‘more-verbal’ girls. Following
attendance at the national Girls Active camp (with pre-camp support from school staff), they surveyed the
preferences of the other girls and designed a programme of girls-only Wednesday lunchtime sessions,
including rounders, yoga, relay races, football and Zumba. The leaders now have complete responsibility
for running the programme, from designing posters to sending runners around the school to rally girls to
take part.
• Impact: The leaders’ confidence has increased, not just in PE and sport but across school generally.
They also have higher levels of independence, initiative and a sense of responsibility, which reflects
the school’s focus on employability skills. Girls’ participation in physical activity has increased, with, on
average, 20 out of 30 girls taking part regularly in the lunchtime sessions. Girls see the leaders as role
models and are eager to join the Girls Active squad next year.
Find out how the Youth Sport Trust can help schools to make PE and sport more
inclusive.
SCAN ME!
Visit the website and, under Solutions, search for: Sainsbury’s Active Kids for
All Inclusive PE; Inclusive Futures; TOP Sportsability; Play Unified; Sainsbury’s
Active Kids Paralympic Challenge; and Inclusive Schools (Project Ability).
https://www.youthsporttrust.org/solutions
10

Success Factors
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• Support the girls to develop their confidence and leadership skills by giving them specific roles initially,
ones that play to their strengths and reflect their interests.
• Invest time with the leaders to begin with, building their confidence and sharing the concepts, before
handing over responsibility to them.
• Provide tailored training for the leaders and/or demonstrate roles so they are clear about their
responsibilities; give them opportunities to practise and rehearse their roles.
• Provide opportunities for girls to buddy with others, e.g. girls with SEND and non-disabled girls working
together; this builds girls’ confidence as well as fostering social inclusion.
• Provide examples of resources as initial stimuli, e.g. posters and presentations.
• Ensure the leaders know where to get support when they need it, e.g. teaching assistants.
• Recognise that the girls’ families may not be able to give them the support they need, e.g. to complete
administrative tasks, and provide this in school instead.
• Provide informal activity time within the school day, e.g. lunchtimes, morning arrival times.
• Negotiate alternative transport arrangements – with bus companies or families – on one or two days each
week to accommodate extra-curricular activities.
• Harness the girls’ friendships, so they motivate and remind their peers to take part.
• Enable the girls to participate with girls from other schools, supporting them to develop wider friendship
groups and the confidence to move beyond their usual social circles.
• Celebrate girls’ achievements across the school so other girls have positive role models.
Girls Active Principles in Action
• Make PE and sport relevant to girls’ lives
• Marjorie McClure – girls learning to work and socialise with new people
• Slated Row – girls developing employability skills
• Empower girls through involving them in design and delivery
• Marjorie McClure – girls taking on specific leadership roles for an event
• Slated Row – girls consulting other girls and designing a programme to suit
• Develop role models for the future
• Marjorie McClure – girls from multiple schools seeing girls with SEND as leaders
• Slated Row – girls signing up to become leaders on an annual basis
• Place the development of self-confidence at the heart of PE and sport
• Marjorie McClure – girls demonstrating their achievements to the whole school
• Slated Row – girls asking for and receiving personalised support when they need it
• Recognise the power of friends to drive progress
• Marjorie McClure – girls with SEND working alongside non-disabled girls
• Slated Row – girls reminding other girls to turn up for sessions
• Take a long-term approach to engaging girls
• Marjorie McClure – the school and community partners sharing expertise and resources
• Slated Row – girls sharing their views with senior leaders
11

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Girls Making The Transition From
Primary To Secondary School
“BEING LEADERS AND
SUPPORTING THE YOUNGER
GIRLS HAS REALLY BOOSTED
THEIR SELF-ESTEEM AND
CONFIDENCE. ONE OF
THE GIRLS WAS RECENTLY
AWARDED ‘OVERALL LEADER
OF THE YEAR’ AT THE
SCHOOL’S SPORTS AWARDS.”
PE TEACHER, CASTLEFORD ACADEMY
“IT’S NOT ABOUT
HOW GOOD YOU
ARE; IT’S MORE
ABOUT HAVING
FUN.”
YEAR 5 GIRL, ST BREOCK
PRIMARY SCHOOL
“FEEDBACK FROM THE
PRIMARY SCHOOLS
WAS VERY POSITIVE…
IT HAS RAISED THE
TEACHERS’ AWARENESS
OF THE GIRLS’
POTENTIAL TO BE
MORE ACTIVE.”
PE TEACHER, CIRENCESTER
KINGSHILL SCHOOL
“IT HAS MADE ME
CONFIDENT TO
TRY THINGS IN
OTHER LESSONS
BACK AT SCHOOL,
NOT JUST IN PE.”
YEAR 6 GIRL, ST
BREOCK PRIMARY
SCHOOL
“BASED ON OUR PREVIOUS
TRANSITION WORK, WE KNOW
THAT OUR SUPPORT FOR
PRIMARY PE HAS INCREASED
THE SKILL-LEVEL OF STUDENTS
ENTERING YEAR 7 SO WE ARE
EXPECTING THE SAME WITH THE
GYM CLUB PARTICIPANTS.”
SCHOOL SPORT COORDINATOR,
CASTLEFORD ACADEMY
“WE FEEL THAT THE
[GYMNASTICS] CLUB HAS BEEN
A FANTASTIC WAY TO SUPPORT
TRANSITION AS WELL AS
DEVELOP THE LEADERSHIP OF
OUR OWN STUDENTS.”
HEAD TEACHER, CASTLEFORD
ACADEMY
“THESE DAYS ALLOW ME TO BE
ACTIVE, TRY NEW ACTIVITIES
AND MEET NEW FRIENDS.”
YEAR 5 GIRL (WITH A HEARING
IMPAIRMENT), ST BREOCK PRIMARY
SCHOOL
“FEELING SPECIAL AND HAVING A
GREATER SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY
HAS MEANT THE GIRLS ACTIVE
LEADERS ARE MORE POSITIVE
AROUND SCHOOL GENERALLY. FOR
SOME, THIS INCLUDES GETTING
12
INTO LESS TROUBLE.”
PE TEACHER, CIRENCESTER KINGSHILL
SCHOOL
“IT HELPS TO DEVELOP THE
GIRLS’ CONFIDENCE, SOCIAL
SKILLS AND INDEPENDENCE
WORKING WITH OTHER GIRLS
FROM DIFFERENT SCHOOLS.”
HEAD TEACHER, ST BREOCK PRIMARY
SCHOOL
“SOME GIRLS HAVE GAINED
MORE SELF-ESTEEM AND
MORE CONFIDENCE FROM
THIS AND IT HAS LED TO MORE
GOING TO COMMUNITY CLUBS
OUT OF SCHOOL. THAT’S A
REAL BREAKTHROUGH.”
SPORTS SPECIALIST CLUSTER
COORDINATOR, ST BREOCK PRIMARY
SCHOOL

Introduction
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TEACHERS
Although Girls Active is targeted at girls in Key Stage 3, of the 10,000 girls who took part in the preintervention
survey, 12 per cent were from Key Stage 4. This highlights some key issues relating to age:
for almost all of the questions, the older girls’ responses were more negative towards or indicated more
challenges for their participation in PE, sport and physical activity. This reinforces the Girls Active rationale: to
work with younger girls as a way to address the issues at an earlier stage.
Research by Women in Sport shows: “…there is no single turning point in girls’ lives leading to a fall in activity
levels. Rather, participation levels are affected by a number of small changes over a period of time that
ultimately results in disengagement.” Further research, reaffirmed by schools’ anecdotal feedback, also shows
that girls’ drop in participation starts in primary school, from around Year 4, and accelerates in Years 8 and 9.
Therefore, primary and secondary schools may need to work together to intervene even earlier and support
the girls’ transition between school tiers.
Clearly, girls’ experiences of primary PE and sport and the transition to secondary school vary enormously.
Therefore, although this guide highlights some approaches for raising levels of participation by focusing
on transition, schools still need to consider their own populations and consult with the girls to identify local
solutions.
Findings
Opportunities
• Fewer older girls like PE.
• More of the older girls do no physical
activity outside of school.
• Older girls are much more likely to feel
they don’t have time for physical activity.
• Older girls are more likely to value their
school work above PE and sport.
• Older girls are much less likely to see the
relevance of PE skills to their wider lives.
• Fewer older girls feel that their school
encourages them to be active.
• Older girls are less likely to like the
activities on offer in PE and school sport.
• Generally, girls are more likely to prefer
recreational sports as they get older.
• Girls are increasingly motivated by looking
and feeling good, as well as friendship
factors, as they get older.
• Girls’ confidence generally and body
confidence in particular decline with age.
• Girls’ sense of self-efficacy reduces as they
get older.
• Make PE relevant to girls’ wider lives by
linking it to their interests and aspirations.
• Make explicit the learning, life and work
skills they can develop through PE and
sport.
• Reinforce the link between being
physically active and educational
achievement.
• Emphasise the benefits to girls’ emotional
wellbeing, not just their physical health.
• Appeal to the girls’ motivations for being
active, e.g. social factors such as looking
and feeling good and friendships.
• Offer activities as stress-relief or relaxation
between studying, tests and exams.
• Consult with girls about their preferred
activities and provide opportunities for
informal and independent participation.
• Show how girls can be active outside of
school, even with limited time.
• Make confidence-building the focus of
girls’ PE – to engage them and senior
leaders.
• Link to other subjects, e.g. PSHE and art, to
explore body confidence issues.
Read the full
stories at:
13

TEACHERS
www.youthsporttrust.org
Schools’ Examples
Castleford Academy – a mixed-sex secondary school for 11-18 year olds in Wakefield
• Issues: The school has a strong history of sporting excellence and a long-standing commitment to
working with its local primary schools. The PE department wanted to expand its extra-curricular offer for
its own girls while doing even more to aid primary girls’ transition to Year 7.
• Intervention: Following consultation with its female students, the school set up an after-school gymnastics
club. It runs from 3-4pm and focuses on recreational rather than competitive gymnastics. It also offers a
4-5pm session for Year 5 and 6 girls from its partner primary schools. This is led by a coach with assistance
from some of the girls who take part in the earlier session. One of Castleford’s PE teachers is present, to
get to know the younger girls and their families.
• Impact: The secondary girls’ confidence, leadership skills and creativity have increased and they are
superb role models and mentors for the younger girls. The younger girls have built relationships with the
PE staff and are looking forward to their move to the secondary school.
Cirencester Kingshill School – a smaller-than-average academy for 11-16 year olds
in Gloucestershire
• Issues: Girls’ participation in PE and sport begins to drop from age 14. The school wanted to pre-empt
this drop-off, and help the girls to develop positive habits at an early stage, by reaching out to local
primary schools and exciting the younger girls about the opportunities at Kingshill.
• Intervention: The school recruited six Year 9 girls as Girls Active leaders. These tended to be less engaged
in PE but had the potential to influence their friends. With support from two friends each, the leaders ran
a These Girls Can festival for girls from 10 local primary schools. Activities took place on the Kingshill site
and included Zumba, skipping, team-building tasks and kick-ball-rounders. The leaders will run extracurricular
clubs for the new Year 7 girls in September.
• Impact: Being leaders increased the Year 9 girls’ confidence and sense of self-efficacy. They take more
responsibility in school and have more energy and drive. The younger girls admire them as role models;
they are keen to take part in more activities, now and when they move schools.
St Breock Primary School – a smaller-than-average primary academy in Cornwall
• Issues: Having been inspired by the This Girl Can campaign, the school wanted to instil in the girls
a positive mind-set about physical activity. It wanted to pre-empt future drop-off by building girls’
confidence, encouraging them to explore, take risks, not worry how others perceive them and overcome
their fears of doing new things. It established Our Girls Can.
• Intervention: St Breock collaborated with RAF St Mawgan and other local partners to run a series of
events for Year 5 and 6 girls from its own school and seven other primary schools in its cluster. Taking
place on non-school sites, such as woodland, the events offered a variety of alternative activities,
including team-building tasks, bush-craft skills and healthy lifestyles workshops, which challenged and
supported the girls to participate in different ways. This included using The Hunger Games as a theme
for one event. The girls worked in mixed-school groups and, at the end of each day, they made personal
pledges to indicate what they would do to be active outside of school. These will be shared with the
secondary school ready for autumn.
• Impact: Girls’ participation has increased, with many joining extra-curricular or community clubs for the
first time. The girls have higher self-esteem, are more confident and have made friends with girls from
other schools, paving the way for their transition to the secondary school.
14

Success Factors
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TEACHERS
• Get senior leaders, not just PE staff, on board by advocating the ways in which PE and sport can support
transition generally.
• Draw on existing networks and partnerships to build relationships with other schools; recognise that
productive relationships are built over time and require shared goals.
• Make sure other schools see the benefits of being involved, both to their girls and, potentially, their staff,
e.g. opportunities for professional learning.
• Involve as many PE staff as possible, even if they are behind the scenes, so transition work has the
support of the whole department.
• Make it easy for other schools to get involved by simplifying administrative tasks.
• Provide a named and consistent contact to deal with any queries from staff, participants or families from
other schools.
• Give PE staff time to build relationships with the girls and, where relevant, their families, rather than
being fully occupied with the delivery of activities.
• Involve older girls in designing, promoting and leading activities so they build relationships with and
become role models for the younger girls.
• Involve community partners, both to maximise resources and raise girls’ awareness of wider provision
and support.
• Recognise and celebrate all the skills that can be developed, e.g. social as well as physical.
Girls Active Principles in Action
• Make PE and sport relevant to girls’ lives
• Castleford – girls becoming familiar with a new school and different teachers
• Cirencester Kingshill – girls believing in their own abilities
• St Breock – girls making new friends from other schools
• Empower girls through involving them in design and delivery
• Castleford – girls leading the consultation and proposing the gymnastics club
• Cirencester Kingshill – girls leading activities at a festival
• Develop role models for the future
• Castleford – girls supporting younger girls to learn new skills
• Cirencester Kingshill – girls volunteering to run extra-curricular clubs for younger girls
• Place the development of self-confidence at the heart of PE and sport
• Castleford – the coach building girls’ confidence by encouraging them to assist her
• Cirencester Kingshill – PE staff and form tutors jointly recruiting girls as leaders
• St Breock – girls learning to take risks and try new things without fear of failure
• Recognise the power of friends to drive progress
• Cirencester Kingshill – leaders recruiting their friends as volunteers for the event
• St Breock – girls developing new friendships that will support them in the future
• Take a long-term approach to engaging girls
• Castleford – the school continuing to invest in its partnership of primary schools
• Cirencester Kingshill – Year 9 leaders becoming mentors when they join Year 10
• St Breock – teachers working with Year 5 and 6 girls to pre-empt later drop-off
15

TEACHERS
www.youthsporttrust.org
Summary
By focusing on three specific groups of girls – BAME, SEND and transition – this guide aims to support schools
to ensure all girls benefit from the Girls Active programme, especially those who are least engaged in PE and
sport at the moment. Clearly, however, these three groups are not mutually exclusive: a girl of any age can be
from a minority ethnic background and be disabled. Therefore, while the guide provides a starting point from
which to consider challenges and potential solutions, it does not relieve PE staff of their most fundamental
duty: to consult with, listen to and build a relationship with the girls. It also reminds schools that girls are
individuals, with different needs, interests and aspirations. Ensuring interventions reflect the needs of the few,
as well as the many, is essential to Girls Active success.
Remember, we know that Girls Active works! So, whatever the proposed intervention, check it against the
Girls Active principles to increase its chance of success.
Acknowledgement
The Youth Sport Trust would like to thank the following schools for their commitment to Girls Active and their
contribution to this guide:
Al Sadiq and Al Zahra School
Castleford Academy
Cirencester Kingshill School
Frederick Bremer School
The Heathland School
Marjorie McClure School
Slated Row School
St Breock Primary School
16

Physical activity
for children and young people
BUILDS
CONFIDENCE &
SOCIAL SKILLS
(5 – 18 Years)
MAINTAINS
HEALTHY
WEIGHT
DEVELOPS
CO-ORDINATION
STRENGTHENS
MUSCLES
& BONES
IMPROVES
SLEEP
IMPROVES
CONCENTRATION
& LEARNING
IMPROVES
HEALTH
& FITNESS
Be physically active
MAKES
YOU FEEL
GOOD
Spread activity
throughout
the day
PLAY
RUN/WALK
Aim for
at least
60
minutes
everyday
All activities
should make you
breathe faster
& feel warmer
BIKE
ACTIVE TRAVEL
SWIM
SKIP
SKATE
CLIMB
Include muscle
and bone
strengthening
activities
3 TIMES
PER
WEEK
SPORT
WORKOUT
PE
DANCE
Sit less
LOUNGING
REDUCE
Move more
Find ways to help all children and young people accumulate
at least 60 minutes of physical activity everyday
UK Chief Medical Officers’ Guidelines 2011 Start Active, Stay Active: www.bit.ly/startactive
DOWNLOAD A COPY OF
THIS INFOGRAPHIC FROM:

To find out more about Girls Active and to access a range of
resources and videos, please visit:
https://www.youthsporttrust.org/girls-active
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woman and girl in the UK.
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Sport England
Helping women and girls
get active.
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women/