toolkit for engaging less-active girls aged 8-10 in ... · infographic with staff to discuss what...

Ofsted has been in since we started this work and were ‘blown away’ with what was going on in the school, especially the girls’

leadership programme as they said it has helped the confidence of the girls and increased awareness of physical activity... it has also aided girl empowerment and now a lot of the girls know they can do anything as they are capable.”

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The government has set out an aspiration for 30 minutes of the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity for children to be met within school time3. This toolkit provides practical ideas to help primary schools consider how they might enhance their physical activity provision for pupils to achieve this aspiration. Specifically, it shares ideas for how primary schools can engage less-active girls in physical activity. The content draws on the findings of an action research project.

TOOLKIT FOR ENGAGING LESS-ACTIVE GIRLS AGED 8-10 IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

How to use this toolkitThe toolkit consists of a set of cards based on the recommended approaches identified through the action research. There is also an introduction to the recommended levels of daily physical activity for children and ideas for raising awareness of these amongst staff, parents and pupils.

Card Contents

i Introduction

Recommended daily physical activity levels for children

ii Sustaining impact

Demonstrating impact

1 Consult with less-active girls

2 Engage parents

3 Train school staff

4 Make it relevant

5 Increase opportunities in the learning environment

6 Identify and promote positive role models

7 Provide opportunities for girls to be leaders

8 Focus on friendship and fun

9 Provide rewards and recognition

10 Use physical activity to attain personal development goals

The toolkit can be used to:

• support discussions with school leaders, staff and parents on how to enable less-active girls to be more physically active

• plan interventions by consulting the relevant card

• review curriculum content and delivery

• plan a parents’ assembly or meeting

• generate ideas for personal or whole school development

• support a review of school policy and the school improvement plan

• support staff’s continuing professional development.

In England, girls aged 8-10 years are less likely to meet the physical activity guidelines and spend more time being sedentary than boys of the same age.

There has been a decrease in the percentage of girls aged 8-10 years meeting the current physical activity guidelines (decreased from 22% in 2008 to 16% in 2012).4


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RECOMMENDED DAILY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS FOR CHILDREN

CONSIDER THIS

The Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines recommend that all children and young people (aged 5-18) should:

• engage in moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity for at least 60 minutes and up to several hours every day

• incorporate vigorous intensity activities, including those that strengthen muscle and bone, on at least three days a week

• minimise the amount of time spent being sedentary (sitting) for extended periods.

See Appendix 1 of the report for an infographic summarising the physical activity guidelines.

The Childhood Obesity Plan 20163 states that every primary school child should take part in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity a day, with an aspiration that at least 30 minutes of this activity is delivered within the school day, through active lessons and break times, PE, extra-curricular clubs and other sport and physical activity events. The remaining 30 minutes should be delivered outside of school time, supported by parents and carers.

IDEAS FOR ACTION

• Share the Sit Less, Move More infographic with staff to discuss what action your school is taking to support children to achieve 30 of their daily 60 minutes of physical activity at school

• Encourage staff to incorporate discussions, using the infographic, in PSHE lessons, for example:

• investigate getting out of breath, having a raised heart rate and getting warm and sweaty during exercise, explaining this is acceptable and what the body is designed to do

• combine messages about the benefits of physical activity with healthy eating messages.

• Share the infographic with parents and let them know what action the school is taking and how this could be enhanced through their support

• Display the infographic around school

• Access Change4Life School Zone resources.


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SUSTAINING IMPACT

Gaining support from senior leaders and the whole school is essential. This will enhance the approaches recommended in this toolkit and ensure greater impact in engaging and sustaining less-active girls’ participation in physical activity.

Senior leader and staff support

CONSIDER THIS

• Commitment from senior leaders to support implementation and engage the whole school is crucial to developing, embedding and sustaining changes in school practice.

• A school-wide culture that promotes and values girls’ participation and encourages them to be physically active is important.

• To be truly successful, changes made to the structure, content and environment of delivery need to be supported by changes in school policy.

• Leadership style and staff role models contribute to creating the culture of the school.

IDEAS FOR ACTION

Use short film clips such as 5 Extra Years, #LikeAGirl or The Tree to convey the value of being active and to prompt a call to action.

• Conduct a simple audit to scope staff interests and commitment to physical activity. Include learning assistants, midday supervisors and care-takers. (Survey Monkey is an easy-to-use tool.)

• Hold a staff discussion on how their interests could be harnessed to support the school to develop and promote a more physically active culture.

• Run whole school training on engaging girls. Consider what it is like to be a girl in 2016/17 and what influences them; explore how to use the ideas in this toolkit to influence less-active girls.

• Be prepared with an action plan or list of jobs for when volunteers emerge.

• Consider the Primary PE and Sport Premium and how it could help to build workforce capacity.

• Establish how this intervention will support whole school priorities: participation, attainment, attendance, behaviour, active lifestyles and leadership; how is it reflected in the school improvement plan and the school’s social development plans?

Our deputy head got behind the project which gave it more sway on the school agenda.”

This work supports the priorities stated in our school improvement plan: to raise attendance and attainment and

narrow the gap of Pupil Premium children, especially KS2 girls, by focusing on in-class/in-school strategies with a focus on Year 5.“


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DEMONSTRATING IMPACT

To demonstrate the impact of the intervention – and to enable the girls, school staff and parents to see the progress being made – it is important to gather evidence. This evidence should be shared on a periodic basis with senior leaders and governors to gain and retain their support. It will also help to keep the girls motivated during and beyond the intervention.

Monitoring and evaluating impact

CONSIDER THIS

• Establish a baseline at the start of the intervention.

• Consider a range of success indicators – qualitative and quantitative – to show changes to attitudes, behaviours and skills.

• Link success indicators to whole school priorities, such as attendance, punctuality, behaviour, confidence, willingness to engage in lessons, resilience, ability to work independently and co-operate with others, overall achievement and attainment.

• Collect evidence as you go; don’t leave it until the end of the intervention.

• Establish methods for ongoing consultation with the girls: gather feedback on how they feel, what they liked and what they believe they have achieved, as well as ideas to improve the sessions.

• Seek feedback from parents on the impact on the girls’ health and wellbeing at home, for example changes to sleeping patterns or their emotions.

• Compare start and end data and share results with staff, senior leaders and parents.

IDEAS FOR ACTION

• Use established school data-collection systems and surveys to gather evidence.

• Map participation data against whole school data and take account of specific groups of girls, such as those eligible for the Pupil Premium or with special educational needs.

• Use pedometers or other technological devices to measure and record activity levels.

• Use creative review tools in sessions so the girls can log their responses as they participate; use technology to capture instant visual and audio feedback.

• Enable girls to gather feedback from each other, for example through peer interviews and surveys.

• Involve the girls in making creative tracking tools, such as healthy passports or logging individual or group kilometres towards agreed destinations.

• Send home simple ‘postcards’ for parents to complete, using three to four key questions.

“Pupil portraits were developed to track impact and pupil progress over time to use as evidence for the school

improvement plan.”


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CONSIDER THIS

• As both a starting point and an ongoing process, consultation is essential to understanding girls’ needs. It also helps to build trust and gives girls ownership of physical activities.

• Consultation may be informal, for example a suggestion box or conversation on the way to the school field.

• Conversation may be more structured, for example involving girls in a group discussion or completing a questionnaire.

• Consultation is a two-way process. Make time to evaluate and celebrate progress with the girls. Report back on progress to show you have listened or involve them in solving difficulties.

• It is critical to identify the less-active girls and understand why they are low-active (see card 4).

• Identify less-active girls:

• through class teachers and by inviting the low-active girls to take part

• by observing which girls miss PE or do not take part in clubs

• by recognising girls who may not exercise or live healthy lifestyles

• by using pedometers or other devices to measure girls’ physical activity levels.

IDEAS FOR ACTION

• Formulate actions based on the needs and interests of less-active girls: discover their ‘reason to be active’.

• Consult less-active girls to identify their preferences for taking part in physical activity. Show them you are listening by putting their choices into action or reporting on and involving them in overcoming difficulties.

• Consult to gather this information; let the girls know their views have been heard and are valued. The process of consulting and acknowledging requests is more important than what you change.

• Ensure all less-active girls, especially those not usually heard, have a say in shaping decisions about physical activity in school; this affects their physical, mental and emotional health.

• Use and adapt existing school systems to gather information. Ensure methods are appropriate and accessible for all girls.

• Build ongoing consultation and reporting into planning, so it becomes the norm and creates trusting relationships with the girls.

• Plan activity sessions with less-active girls, at an appropriate time in the school day, to maintain their involvement and have greatest impact.

After watching the #LikeAGirl film clip on how girls run, how girls kick etc., the girls wanted to prove a point on how they

actually can do sport and go against this gender stereotype.”

CONSULT WITH LESS-ACTIVE GIRLS

SCHOOL TOP TIP

Consultation is a two-way process. Make time to evaluate, feed back and celebrate progress with the girls.

SCHOOL TOP TIP

Consultation: the girls need to feel they have ownership.

SCHOOL TOP TIP

Carry out ongoing consultation to continually understand the changing needs of less-active girls.

SCHOOL TOP TIP

Be open to less-active girls and to new ideas and strategies to engage them. A soft approach is needed.


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PRACTICE EXAMPLES

Schools that consult effectively with girls tend to use a range of strategies rather than relying on one.

HAVE A HIGH PROFILESet up a girls’ activity board, managed by the girls, in a prominent place. Report back to girls through ‘You Said; We Did’ notices. Have a comments corner or suggestions box where the girls can post ideas. Have a ‘PE Gossip’ page in the school newsletter or on the website to which girls can send their issues, requests and feedback. Build it into other lessons such as English, ICT or PSHE.

HARNESS DIGITAL POWERUse technology to attract the girls’ interest and make it a more confidential process. Set up a feedback booth where girls can leave audio or video messages on a tablet. Use a text wall, electronic post-it tools or an in-house social media site to gather responses to short questions.

LET GIRLS LEAD THE WAYSupport a smaller group of girls to interview or survey their peers. This might be through a girls’ leadership team, a sub-group of the school council or representatives from each year group. Help them to design a survey and build it into registration time at the start of the day. Or encourage girls to collect feedback informally through friendship groups at lunchtimes and breaks.

START AS YOU MEAN TO GO ONBuild a consultation activity into the first PE lesson of each new year or term. Make this active by using relay races or orienteering-type activities in which pupils locate and respond to simple questions. Develop their social skills by making it a group work task, linked to empathy.


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CONSIDER THIS

• Interventions that involve families have a greater effect on children’s sedentary behaviour.8

• Families play an important role1 in providing emotional support, gender role modelling and practical support, such as providing transport and funding for extra-curricular activities.

• Most inactivity in the home is due to time spent watching TV. Some parents rely on this as a recreational activity, due to time and budget constraints or environmental factors, such as fears about neighbourhood safety and accessibility of facilities such as parks.9

• Involving parents/carers is a key ingredient for successful implementation.2

• Lack of parental support can impede girls from being more physically active.

IDEAS FOR ACTION

• Engage parents/carers from the start: make partnerships, not judgements!

• Be mindful of language or cultural barriers: encourage parents to ask questions and share ideas.

• Set ‘activity homework’ – but make sure it is enjoyable.

• Use the physical activity guidelines to communicate to parents the benefits of being physically active; emphasise health and wellbeing benefits or increased achievement in school.

• Use a short film clip, such as 5 Extra Years, during assemblies to engage parents.

• Set family challenges that promote physical activity; share free resources such as the Change4Life 10 Minute Shake Up activities.

• Include opportunities for parents and girls to jointly recognise and celebrate progress and success.

• Run ‘mums and daughters’, ‘dads and daughters’ or siblings events.

• Recruit parent volunteers. As well as helping, they can be great role models for less-active girls.

Families are the most powerful influence on a child’s activity levels at this age but schools are seen by parents as the most

important sites for change.”

ENGAGE PARENTS

SCHOOL TOP TIP

Host a parent/family assembly about healthy living choices and the benefits of the project to the girls’ education.

SCHOOL TOP TIP

Engage parents early. If parents are not on board the message will be lost.

SCHOOL TOP TIP

Set a parent/family challenge to gain their support for less-active girls in a fun way.


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PRACTICE EXAMPLES

Humberstone Junior Academy, Leicester (urban, aged 7-11, mixed-sex, 362 pupils, 14.6% FSM)

The school held a parents’ meeting after school to explain the programme and included national statistics about girls dropping out of sport. Permission slips were signed on the day. Not all parents could attend so some had a quick one-to-one with the teacher. Because of this approach parents were onside and easier to engage throughout the project.

Stokes Wood Primary, Leicester (urban, age 3-11, mixed-sex, 424 pupils, 25.7% FSM)

To increase engagement of parents and encourage families to be active together, the girls took home ‘activity homework’ to do with their families. Each card consisted of instructions for fun games and a message about why exercise is important. A reward card was signed off each time with double points awarded if parents were involved.


3 TRAIN SCHOOL STAFF

CONSIDER THIS

• Time out for staff to reflect, formulate ideas and plan the intervention is vital.

• Professional learning for teachers to improve lesson preparation and management has potential long-term benefits for both pupils’ and teachers’ moderate to vigorous physical activity levels.5

• Non-teaching staff, as well as teachers, who talk about and show they enjoy physical activity provide the girls with positive role models and ‘normalise’ being active.

Involve friends and families.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Target physical activity and sedentary behaviour together.

Educate pupils about the benefits of physical activity and negative effects of sedentary behaviour.

Incorporate high intensity activity into PE lessons and create opportunities for peer leadership.

Consider the use of psychological strategies such as goal-setting.

Offer girls-only programmes.

Introduce new elements or activities after 12 weeks to maintain excitement.

Make sure deliverers are qualified and appropriate for the targeted pupils.

Create more facilities, space and opportunities for physical activity throughout the school day.

Involve the girls in choosing and designing a programme.

SCHOOL TOP TIP

Collect evidence as you go. It is great for demonstrating impact to staff, parents and governors.

SCHOOL TOP TIP

Time out for staff to formulate ideas and plan the project is key.

SCHOOL TOP TIP

Carry out a self-review to understand the current situation in school.

SCHOOL TOP TIP

Start early. Target girls the term before and get staff and parents involved.


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PRACTICE EXAMPLE

Humberstone Junior Academy, Leicester (Urban, Aged 7-11, Mixed Gender, 362 pupils, 14.6% FSM)

The school ran CPD with teachers and had a really good response. Many said it was really inspiring and they will definitely get involved. Next year teachers will run clubs in an area they are comfortable in. For example, if a teacher plays hockey outside school they will run an eight-week hockey session.

IDEAS FOR ACTION

• Share a vision and key messages with all staff to show the wider benefits of physical activity and to challenge misperceptions about girls’ and women’s participation in sport.

• Involve a number of staff members – as allies as well as for practical support.

• Allocate time for staff to use the toolkit to reflect, discuss and plan.

• Share how interventions link to whole school priorities with senior leaders and other school staff.

• Explain that a multi-component approach to physical activity will have more and longer-lasting impact on girls’ behaviours. For example, plan to increase participation levels (physical) but also support the girls to set personal goals (cognitive) and encourage each other (social).

• Prioritise the Primary PE and Sport Premium spend: focus on making a long-term difference to the children whose need is greatest.

• Seek support from School Games Organisers who have contacts with reputable local coaches and who may be able to recommend girl-friendly providers.

• Use links with other school sport partners, county sports partnerships and public health centres to support delivery and staff development or to access resources and funding.

• Use these RECOMMENDATIONS, from the action research project, to plan interventions.

The CPD we ran in school on engaging girls was a great thing to do because it has got the backing of the other teachers!”

• Not bring their PE kit to school• Regularly bring in excuse notes for PE• Dislike traditional sport or team games• Demonstrate self-conscious behaviour in PE• Have other interests that take up their time, for example music or

language lessons• Be studious • Have family/parental pressure to study• Lack family/parental support to access out-of-school-hours (OSH)

opportunities• Be pressured by families/parents to participate and succeed in sport• Have to adhere to religious or cultural commitments and

requirements• Care for other family members • Be rurally-isolated and dependent on school transport• Have additional support needs• Be seen as ‘poorly behaved’ or at risk of being excluded from school• Be from a disadvantaged background• Lack confidence, self-esteem or social skills• Have poor coordination and movement skills• Have weight issues i.e. obese, overweight or under nourished• Have health issues, for example asthma• Have had a negative experience of PE• Be influenced by friends not to be active• Have a disability or injury that requires an adapted or flexible approach


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MAKE IT RELEVANT

CONSIDER THIS

It is important to identify the less-active girls in your school and recognise why they may not be active.

Less-active girls will be doing significantly less physical activity than other children in your school and may:

IDEAS FOR ACTION

• Explore and understand the factors that prevent less-active girls from being active.

• Consult with less-active girls to better understand their needs and interests: help them to identify their ‘reason to be active’.

• Focus on the personal, social and emotional benefits of being active, not just the physical benefits, for example confidence, friendships and relaxation.

• Raise girls’ awareness of free and easy-to-do activities they can do with friends and families – at home or at school – to be active for 60 minutes every day.

• Ask School Games Organisers and other local schools to arrange more girls-only events and competitions or have an even boy/girl split for mixed competitions.

• Ensure interventions are accessible to all girls within the targeted group.

• Engage learning assistants to support girls with additional needs.

• Respect religious and cultural beliefs and celebrations when planning interventions; for example, check the timing of Ramadan as some girls may wish to fast and not exercise despite wanting to be active.

• Provide opportunities for less-active girls alongside Pupil Premium girls to help narrow the gap in health outcomes between disadvantaged girls and their peers.

• Ensure all interventions promote the welfare of girls and protect them from harm.

SCHOOL TOP TIP

Poor delivery = unsuccessful intervention. Make sure you have the right deliverers who understand the needs of the less-active girls being targeted.


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PRACTICE EXAMPLE

Wellington Primary, Hounslow (Inner City, Age 3-11, Mixed Gender, 520 on roll, 14.1% FSM)

The school took the girls off-site to the local park, once a week, for activities at lunchtime. The girls absolutely loved it. It was free and very effective as many of the girls didn’t visit the park with their parents. They discussed with the girls what physical activity means and did running, tag, hop scotch, swings, climbing frames, hand stands and cart wheels.

They now know that running down to the park or other activities counts towards their daily activity levels... sit less,

move more!”

Consult with girls to understand their thoughts and feelings about physical activity. Discuss being active to alter their mind-

set and inspire them to take part.”


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INCREASE OPPORTUNITIES IN THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

IDEAS FOR ACTION

PE lessons

• Trial different approaches to PE for different groups of pupils. For example: group pupils by sex,

ability or friendships; have single-sex lessons; enable pupils to learn independently and lead

parts of lessons; focus on personal, social, thinking and creative skills, not just physical skills.

• Provide professional learning for all staff involved in the delivery of PE. This improves teaching

and creates positive role models.

Extra-curricular sport and physical activity

• Offer a variety of activities and sessions to suit different pupils, for example formal/informal,

competitive/cooperative, skill-based/game-based, individual/group, traditional/alternative.

• Use the Primary PE and Sport Premium to bring in alternative deliverers and to upskill staff.

• Let girls take the lead: as organisers, coaches, officials, motivators, promoters, reporters etc.

• Involve more female role models: older girls, female relatives, sporting champions, volunteers.

• Have multi-activity fun clubs, for example involving a mix of music, art, drama and sport.

Active classrooms

• Reinforce the message that everyday activity counts towards pupils’ 60 minutes of daily physical

activity.

• Introduce short exercises or buzz activities to break up periods of sitting throughout the day.

Enable pupils to lead these, using visual aids such as posters, slides or videos. Get ideas from

Change4Life.

School grounds

• Zone the playground so pupils have choices of how to be active without disrupting each other’s

play, for example a ball-games zone or skipping zone. Rotate zones during the day/week if there

is limited space.

• Develop and deploy playground leaders and give them equipment and resources to stimulate

ideas.

• Use playground buddies to target and encourage less-active girls.

The learning environment includes PE, extra-curricular sport, other subjects and the school grounds.

CONSIDER THIS

PE lessons

• The role of PE is to provide pupils with the confidence, motivation, knowledge and skills to be

active now and throughout their lives.5

• How are PE lessons differentiated to meet the needs of different groups of pupils? Consider

teaching and learning styles and methods as well as activities, groups and tasks.

• How are gender stereotypes addressed in PE? What assumptions are made by staff and pupils,

girls and boys? Is there equity in provision or do boys’ needs dominate PE?

• Many girls enjoy girls-only activities/groups or would prefer separate PE lessons.1

Extra-curricular sport and physical activity

• Does the extra-curricular offer suit girls’ different needs and interests?

• Research1 identified that some girls have a fear of failure so will not try an activity in case they can’t

do it. How do you build their confidence and resilience from the outset?

• Girls-only sessions can provide a safe environment where girls feel they won’t be judged; they can

help to build confidence and, in turn, create positive peer role models for other girls.

Active classrooms

• Creating active classrooms reduces sitting time and introduces movement around the school; this

encourages healthy behaviour that leads to physical and academic improvements in pupils.

School grounds

• Crowded playgrounds are linked to increased sedentary behaviours in school and children who

are more sedentary have lower levels of participation in physical activity.

Music adds an element of fun. Girls choose music from a playlist to warm up to. When there is a discussion, the music is turned off then put back on when

activities are taking place. Active classrooms, the girls’ club and PE lessons all use music. Girls aren’t really thinking about being physically active as they are enjoying the music.”

SCHOOL TOP TIP

Have fun: if you do, they will.

Off-site/outdoor session: by creating a different learning environment it no longer feels like a lesson.


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Mellor Community Primary, Leicester (urban, aged 3-11, mixed-sex, 586 pupils, 13.2% FSM)

Less-active girls in Years 4 and 5 wanted to be more confident in taking part and leading activities with boys. They were trained to lead PE sessions for their male and female peers. Through a girls-only, after-school club they were taught a specific activity with skills. On the following days they ran sessions in curriculum time, including the warm-up, skills, game and cool-down. Learning from each other contributed to an increase in confidence. In addition, the girls coached the boys who initially the boys found it hard to take but, gradually, their attitudes changed. The less-active girls now have more confidence in all activities.

Stokes Wood Primary, Leicester (Urban, Age 3-11, Mixed Gender, 424 on roll, 25.7% FSM)

Split groups into single-gender to practice rugby skills in lessons. They discovered that girls enjoyed the lessons more and played strategic games and that the boys played rough and could learn something from the girls.

Bloxham Church of England Primary, Oxfordshire (rural, aged 4-11, mixed-sex, 425 on roll, 9.4% FSM)

The school established a running challenge with Year 5s running the distance of a marathon over a number of weeks. This continued as ‘Active 10’ where pupils run 10 minutes a day in their own time. This is now run and monitored by Year 5 class teachers.


The school used GONOODLE to break up the amount of time their pupils were sedentary in lessons. This was accompanied by discussions about being physically active. Girls led the activities. As a result, there was an increase in the number of less-active girls choosing to engage in PE.

Bloxham Church of England Primary, Oxfordshire (Rural, Age 4-11, Mixed Gender, 425 on roll, 9.4% FSM)

Many girls chose to sit in the nurture room instead of being active at break times. The school wanted to decrease their sedentariness. Year 6 volunteers (girls and boys) trained as junior leaders and run sessions on a separate part of the school field. They encourage less-active girls to join in. The leaders are supported by school staff. The initiative has seen far fewer girls sitting inside during play time.

Green Dragon Primary School, Hounslow (Inner City, Age 3-11, Mixed Gender, 476 pupils, 26.5% FSM)

The school planned a girls’ breakfast club for less-active girls. They ran weekly sessions before school which included a walk along the river, running short circuits, hand-stand and cartwheel practice, and wake and shake training as well as breakfast and healthy lifestyle discussions. After four weeks, the Year 5 sport leaders were invited to lead the sessions. The girls absolutely loved it. The sessions were very effective as many of the girls did not visit the park with their parents.

Peer led activities have been very popular. The students have brought their learning from extra-curricular clubs into PE

lessons. Each week there would be two sessions, one with a coach and one without. The girls would deliver the session when the coach was not present.”

PRACTICE EXAMPLES


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IDENTIFY AND PROMOTE POSITIVE ROLE MODELS

• Celebrate female sporting role models to demonstrate that being active is important, valued and socially acceptable.

• Show diverse role models, including girls and women with different body shapes.

• Create a culture where staff and other role models provide positive messages about physical activity.

• Promote female sporting role models that are ‘real’ to less-active girls, for example staff, parents, community members and other girls as well as local sporting celebrities.

• Celebrate in assembly and on an ‘inspiration board’ what staff do to keep fit and their sporting achievements, such as taking part in charity runs or playing for local teams.

• Inspire pupils with This Girl Can posters and displays from Team GB and Paralympics GB.

• The teachers who were interviewed1 recognised the lack of positive sporting role models for girls compared to boys.

• Positive sporting role models can have a powerful effect on young people’s attitudes to physical activity.

Through this project older girls have had more control of what goes on in clubs. Younger girls have developed a bond with the

older girls.”

We have strong female PE staff who compete in sport outside of school and share their successes. Passionate external

coaches and ex-pupils doing Duke of Edinburgh and sports leadership volunteering are great role models and inspire the girls.”

• Ask female staff to share their sporting challenges and journeys with less-active girls to show that enjoyment and success come through perseverance, resilience and risk-taking.

• Recruit the right deliverers to work with less-active girls. Are they empathetic to the girls and understand the aims of the intervention?

• Encourage less-active girls to discover what their favourite celebrities do to keep fit. Emphasise celebrity messages about health, wellbeing and achievement rather than weight management.

• Use female young leaders to inspire and engage less-active girls.

• Train less-active girls as leaders of mixed-sex groups or younger girls.

• Do not underestimate the power of friendships: girls are role models for each other.

• Raise the profile of girls’ physical activity interventions in school and seek support from colleagues – both teaching and non-teaching staff – and parents and governors. For example, if someone plays football, can they run a weekly football session for less-active girls?

CONSIDER THIS

IDEAS FOR ACTION

SCHOOL TOP TIP

Develop positive role models as many girls do not have this at home/outside of school.

SCHOOL TOP TIP

Use girls in older years as positive role models to engage younger years.

TOP TIPS

Role models give girls something to aspire to, such as teachers sharing what physical activity they do outside of school.


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PRACTICE EXAMPLES


The PE Coordinator did not know how to play football and was keen to experience the journey with the less-active girls. She attended weekly training with them and shared how she felt about taking part and that it is okay to feel worried and nervous but also that it is fun to achieve something new.


The school trained less-active girls to deliver sessions to mixed-sex groups. They led other pupils and, in particular, showed the boys that girls can do whatever the boys can do. Boys thought they were superior before the intervention, but have since given feedback that supports the girls’ motto: girls can do whatever the boys can do.


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CONSIDER THIS

• Pupils provided with opportunities to demonstrate leadership and make decisions could increase effort during PE lessons and physical activity sessions.5

• Giving girls leadership roles within school, for example school council members or playground leaders, shows they are valued and integral to the school’s success.

• Girls who are empowered as leaders secure respect from others and increase their confidence and activity levels.

• Older girls enjoy positions of responsibility. Junior leaders can take on the responsibility of leading sessions, which makes provision more sustainable.

IDEAS FOR ACTION

• Support less-active girls to take on leadership roles within and outside of PE lessons.

• Make sure leaders reflect and represent the school’s population, for example pupils with special educational needs, looked-after pupils, pupils from different ethnic backgrounds or those who speak English as an additional language.

• Recognise a range of leadership roles, for example sports leaders, coaches, officials, organisers, motivators, promoters, reporters, advocates.

• Further develop existing leadership roles in school, such as school council members or junior sports leaders. Find out what pupils think works well and what could be improved.

• Elect a girls’ ‘champion’ for each club, agree their roles and display their pictures on the PE or main school notice board.

• Meet champions regularly to discuss progress and identify what can be done to improve opportunities for girls.

• Include a girls’ champion on school and sport committees or establish a girls’ sub-group.

• Set up a girls’ notice board. Empower girls to organise themselves and report what they are doing to increase girls’ participation, skills and achievements.

We have created a group of ‘Sportivators’ using targeted girls from this project. Their role is to promote physical activity in

school, for example hand out letters, give notices in assembly, advertise clubs, help to organise events such as ‘Race at our Place’, support our ‘Rise and Shine’ and encourage participation.”

PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR GIRLS TO BE LEADERS

SCHOOLS TOP TIP

Consultation with Girl Leaders is vital because the girls’ voices can be heard. They decide how to proceed, with guidance, and take ownership of what they are doing and trying to achieve.


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PRACTICE EXAMPLES

Dashwood Banbury Academy, Oxfordshire (urban, aged 3-11, mixed-sex, 338 pupils, 13.7% FSM)

The leadership academy at a partner secondary school supported the primary school to develop its own leadership academy and train Years 5 and 6 girls as leaders. This led to the girls leading events and buddying their peers in PE and in whole school events, such as a multi-skills activity day and school sports day. During National School Sports Week they ran a carousel of Olympic and Paralympic activities. The leaders are positive role models for other girls and don’t even realise they are doing physical activity whilst leading. They want to take part, possibly because they are separated from the boys. Planning, organising and executing their ideas gives the girls ownership and a sense of self-worth and accomplishment. Girls realised they are quite good (girl empowerment!).


The school established girls’ champions to create ownership of girls’ physical activity opportunities in school. The champions are responsible for meeting with their teams and feeding back about PE lessons and sports clubs, ideas or celebrations. They have built a trusting relationship with staff. A Girls in Sport Excellence Committee (GISEC) was also developed. Girls chose the name and delivered a presentation on their vision which was shared with the other girls. Girls’ leadership has helped to instil confidence and enabled the girls to give back to the school.

• Don’t lecture girls that physical activity is fun. They need to feel that enjoyment for themselves. Find out how they feel: encourage them to share their experiences and emotions.

• Consult less-active girls to find out what is important to them – their ‘reason to be active’. Use this insight to inform provision (see card 4).

• Group girls with their friends to practise skills in PE lessons and encourage an environment of peer-support and mutual respect.

• Introduce a ‘bring a friend’ scheme for sessions that target less-active girls.

• Make the development of social skills an explicit aim of PE and extra-curricular sessions, supporting girls to tolerate differences, respect others, cooperate and trust each other.

• Encourage team work through fun challenges, helping girls to develop transferable skills such as communicating, negotiating, problem-solving, evaluating, decision-making and being resilient.

• Challenge girls to be physically active with their friends and help them understand how to be active for 60 minutes every day, both in and out of school.

• Encourage girls to set themselves and each other fun and creative challenges.

• Include music to change the feel of a session. Girls enjoy creating their own playlists.

• Where possible, allow girls to decorate their physical activity spaces so they have a more informal, fun feel, for example by bringing in posters or making their own signs.

• Make sure the deliverers have fun too – and show their enjoyment of being active.

• Do something different on an occasional basis: novelties help with retention.


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FOCUS ON FRIENDSHIP AND FUN

IDEAS FOR ACTION

CONSIDER THIS

• Social factors are beginning to emerge as very important drivers for girls aged 8-10 years, particularly with regards to relationships and getting on better with family and friends.1

• The study found that friends’ influence has a great impact on less-active girls’ levels of physical activity. Girls’ choices and what they enjoy are affected by what their friends like and think.1

• Informal, girls-only physical activity sessions, which focus on fun, enjoying time with friends and having a choice about activities (from a pre-agreed list), are very successful.

• Targeted groups of less-active girls develop friendships with girls outside of their usual friendship groups.

SCHOOL TOP TIP

Don’t under estimate the power of friends when engaging less-active girls.

SCHOOL TOP TIP

Use the positive role of friends to provide support and encouragement.

There was an increase seen, from the start of the project to follow-up, in the percentage of girls who agreed a lot that their

friends often play sport or do something active, and that they did active things together with their friends.”


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PRACTICE EXAMPLES

St Breock Primary, Cornwall (rural, aged 3-11, mixed-sex, 190 pupils, 7% FSM)

As part of a transition project with seven other primary schools, the school organises a number of events each year to develop friendships between girls from different primary schools before they join the local secondary school. This includes girls in Years 5 and 6 and the events come under the banner of ‘Our Girls Can’. The school works with a number of community partners, including the RAF, to involve the girls in a wide range of alternative activities, all of which take place off the school site. One event is based on ‘The Hunger Games’ trilogy by Suzanne Collins and introduces the girls to outdoor activities, problem-solving challenges and bush craft skills, all in an area of woodland. The link to the books and film fires their imagination and enthusiasm and encourages them to emulate the books’ protagonist, a powerful female role model.

Girls-only clubs that they do with their friends tie in with single-sex PE lessons. They no longer view physical activity as failure

but as a journey to getting better. Using female coaches who act as role models to the girls is a bonus.”


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CONSIDER THIS

• Consult less-active girls to find out what goals they would like to achieve (see card 4).

• To promote positive attitudes, recognise and reward effort and progress as well as achievement of goals. Use the Spirit of the Games values to reward girls’ qualities and skills.

• Support the girls to set milestones on the way to their goals; this helps them to stay motivated when the desired goal seems too distant.

• Keep a record of girls’ progress or design simple reward cards that are stamped each time they reach an agreed milestone or goal. A visual record will boost the girls’ confidence.

• Develop a rewards system using bronze, silver and gold certificates that recognise the amount of time spent doing sport or physical activity during a six-week period.

• Involve the girls in designing a rewards system: encourage them to determine how merits are gained, what the rewards should be and who should be awarded what.

• Link PE and sport awards to the whole school rewards system so, by being active, girls are contributing house points or working towards greater awards.

• Focus on simple rewards, such as being given first place in the dinner queue or being able to choose the music for next week’s session.

• Make physical activity part of the reward, for example by providing an innovative activity or taking girls to an off-site activity.

• Support the girls to deliver a presentation in assembly to share what they have been doing and why. Encourage them to create a video or photo montage as part of cross-curricular work.

• Recognise less-active girls’ achievements in school assemblies, for example a ‘Sportsperson of the Week’ presentation, and through newsletters, notice boards and websites.

• Hold a celebration assembly and invite parents; this raises their awareness of the value of physical activity too.

• Send home postcards that reinforce the girls’ physical activity achievements and include references to physical activity in end-of-term/year reports to parents.

PROVIDE REWARDS AND RECOGNITION

• The study highlighted that positive attitudes towards physical activity and the intention to participate do create a step change towards actual participation.

IDEAS FOR ACTION


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PRACTICE EXAMPLES


The school produced certificates for all of the families that took part in the family challenges. These were sent home, regardless of the time spent or standard of activity.

Green Dragon Primary, Hounslow (inner-city, aged 3-11, mixed-sex, 476 pupils, 26.5% FSM)

To raise the profile and recognition of what less-active girls are doing in school, the girls have their own bibs for their club and they collect awards in assemblies. The girls have also been encouraged to be ambassadors for sport in the school and are awarded certificates for completing the girls’ club. There was an assembly in Healthy Schools week alongside Healthy Lives kids. Many of the shy girls were very proud to show what they had been doing.

Wellington Primary, Hounslow (inner-city, aged 3-11, mixed-sex, 520 on roll, 14.1% FSM)

The This Girl Can reward was a swimming trip. Girls chose the activity session they wanted as a reward (within reason) and most of them chose swimming. They would not usually pick swimming as they are very body conscious. This demonstrates how comfortable they have become with their peers and the coach who has been working with them.

Get more girls involved and understanding their bodies. Teach a love for being active.”


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USE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TO ATTAIN PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT GOALS

CONSIDER THIS

• The role of PE is to provide pupils with the confidence, motivation, knowledge and skills to be active now and throughout their lives.5

• Developing girls’ confidence is critical, both to their enjoyment of sport10 and physical activity and to their flourishing in life.

• Confidence levels of girls in Year 3 are generally good but this begins to change in Year 4 as girls begin to take more notice of the world around them.1

• Interventions that include both physical and cognitive components, such as goal-setting, tend to influence children’s levels of physical activity more strongly than those using only one component.11

• Girls enjoy variety, learning new things and fair play. They enjoy challenges without having to prove themselves or be experts.1

• Some girls are impeded by the fear of failing or under-achievement or a perception of not being good at sport.1

• Generally, how they feel is more important to girls aged 8-10 than how they look.

• Providing opportunities for girls to perform in a comfortable environment and to be successful builds confidence and has a beneficial effect on lessons and extra-curricular sessions.

• Girls want to be comfortable when they do physical activity. Although many are not yet body conscious at 8-10 years, that self-consciousness if fast-approaching.

IDEAS FOR ACTION

• Put confidence-building at the heart of PE, helping girls to develop the confidence, self-esteem and sense of self-efficacy they need to flourish through physical activity and in life.

• Consult less-active girls to find out what is important to them; this helps them to identify their ‘reason to be active’ and to set personal goals (card 4).

• Include qualitative goals, not just quantitative ones, for example girls feeling better about themselves, not just how much activity they do.

• Focus on personal goals – personal bests – rather than comparative or externally set goals in PE.

• Focus on positive goals rather than negative goals, for example it is more realistic and motivational to aim to do more physical activity each week than it is to aim to lose weight.

• Involve girls in setting their own challenges – individually and for each other.

• Encourage less-active girls to reflect on how they feel after doing physical activity; this helps them to understand the benefits to their wellbeing and emotional health.

• Encourage girls to record their progress in a log book – noting challenges overcome or goals achieved – and endorse this. Use photos or video diaries to log progress too.

• Praise and celebrate effort as well as achievement.

• Have empathy for girls’ growing self-consciousness with their bodies, for example relax kit rules or ask girls what they would like to wear.

• Build in time at the end of PE lessons to allow girls to make themselves look and feel presentable.

• Be willing to discuss girls’ concerns about body image: ignoring it will not make it go away.

We wanted to encourage an informal feel to the girls-only club and did not want to make it feel like a PE lesson so girls wore

whatever they felt comfortable in. They asked the school to provide a blue, girls-only club t-shirt which they wore with pride and which gave them a sense of belonging.”

SCHOOL TOP TIPS

Be open to less-active girls and to new ideas and strategies to engage them. A soft approach is needed.

SCHOOL TOP TIPS

Set goals to give girls purpose, motivation and a sense of achievement; goals could be participatory, skill-based or competitive.


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PRACTICE EXAMPLES

Dashwood Banbury Academy, Oxfordshire (urban, aged 3-11, mixed-sex, 338 pupils, 13.7% FSM)

The school had never delivered single-sex PE lessons before. They discovered how effective it was for the girls they were targeting. Girls were encouraged to log results and self-review to improve their personal best scores. Teaching staff did a lot of work with them on peer-evaluation and performance goals. Girls found they were able to fail and still keep going; they were more determined to accomplish a task and improve. Girls were happy to run with the boys and wanted to win.

Stokes Wood Primary, Leicester (urban, aged 3-11, mixed-sex, 424 on roll, 25.7% FSM)

The after-school girls-only club for 17 targeted girls was a chance for the girls to try new sports or give previously tried sports a second chance. A confidence scale was used at the start and end of each session and music was played throughout to make it more enjoyable. Girls experienced that being active can be fun. The sessions provided a confidence-boost to the girls who felt their abilities had improved generally and in specific activities.

toolkit for engaging less-active girls aged 8-10 in ... · infographic with staff to discuss what...

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