Some Teesside schools helping students gain confidence in subjects
Research shows girls may not take on subjects compared to boys
We are hearing some schools across Teesside are helping students take on subjects they're not confident in.
It comes as findings by educational platform Studio You, have found that girls are still not participating as willingly or with as much confidence as boys in PE.
Claire Tennyson, Chair of the Tees Valley Sports Board and Executive Director at the Redcar and Eston School Sport Partnership, said: "I've been doing my job for 20 years and it really hasn't changed a lot aross the 20 years. I know mums have said the same when they were at school and often it's children going through that puberty or feeling very self-conscious that happens.
"The curriculum in secondary PE is a little bit more focussed, so they don't have as much freedom to do activities that the girls would want. They feel self-conscious and often if PE is in the morning, they don't want to go in the shower and they feel sweaty in the afternoon. Girls have that peer pressure of feeling that they've got to look good.
"A lot of the schools are starting to do youth engagement, finding out what the girls want, what difference it would make, so I know a few schools have got straighteners and hairdryers in the changing rooms, because these are things that are improtant to the girls and then those girls act as role models to encourage other girls to take part and that's working really well.
"If I'm growing up in a household that's saying 'you need to do Maths and English but PE, here's a note to get out of it', then that becomes the norm to me as a child to think 'well PE's not valuable', so we want to make sure that families know what the benefits are of mental health and physical health.
"We would want parents to encourage it, understand the benefits but also be role models themselves, so I did see a parent the other night saying that her daughter was doing her GCSEs and to stop her getting so stressed out, they were going to go for a walk together around the Tees Barrage, so that parent obviously understands the benefits of physical activity."
The research
Studio You found that double the percentage of girls surveyed stated they would drop the subject if given the option, compared to boys (40% vs 20%), and PE was selected as the subject most likely to be dropped by girls. They also admitted to skipping twice as many PE lessons in a school term, with 38% saying, "I go because I have to and I do not enjoy it."
It added the enjoyment gap between the genders is striking, as where boys said they found the class "exciting" (33%) and "engaging" (26%), girls said it was "embarrassing" (30%) and "stressful" (28%) for them. Indeed, half of girls (49%) say that if given the choice, they would never attend PE lessons, compared to just under a third (32%) of boys who say the same.
Studio You says only 45% of girls said they are comfortable taking part in mixed gender lessons, compared to 66% of boys, with over a third (34%) of girls saying they don't try as hard in mixed gender PE lessons.
It added this drop in enjoyment emerges as girls get older, with over half (57%) admitting they enjoyed PE more in primary school. Periods are named as the number one barrier, as 45% say they have made PE less enjoyable for them - a roadblock with parallels in professional sport. Just last year, we watched as the Lionesses successfully campaigned for the removal of white shorts from their uniform at the Women's World Cup, citing period-related concerns.
With this in mind, Studio You says it's not surprising that 46% of girls say PE kit options would enhance their comfort and enjoyment during PE sessions. This sentiment is echoed by the majority (74%) of parents, who believe that such a uniform adjustment could make things easier for female students, especially as 59% of parents feel that girls tend to have a more difficult experience in PE lessons than boys.
It says given female and male experiences in PE have vastly differed throughout generations - 58% of female parents admitted they did not enjoy PE when they were in school compared to 34% of male parents - it's high time the enjoyment gap is addressed.