Schools hold the key to closing gender gap in physical exercise
On the 3rd May 2012 the Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation published theirr Changing the Game for Girls report which shows that over half of secondary girls say that “girls are put off sport and physical activity because of their experiences of school sport and PE” and that schools hold the key to closing gender gap in physical exercise.
The report - which was produced in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust and which has been extensively discussed in the media and highlights that while some schools are performing very well by providing environments and activities which ensure girls remain active, there is still a challenge to turn good practice into common practice. This results in the worrying statistic that only 12% of 14 year old girls are reaching recommended levels of physical activity – half the number of boys at the same age. This is despite three quarters (74%) of girls saying they would like to be more active.
The report, available to download here includes a series of recommendations which sets out what government, schools and teachers can do to encourage and support more girls being active.
The Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation have also produce a toolkit which has been sent to every secondary school PE department with practical advice and tips about how to help girls enjoy PE and school sport. A copy of this toolkit can be downloaded here.
