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Watch Studio You's special event on tackling the PE enjoyment gap

3rd May 2024

The empowering live broadcast, which inspires young girls across the country to see the positive powers of PE and physical activity, is now available to watch on demand.

Updated 10 July 2024

In May, Studio You hosted a 30-minute live broadcast to help change the way girls see being active in school and beyond, which was watched by over 1,000 schools.

It’s now available on demand (and totally free), ready for teachers to watch with their students at a time that works for them. So if you're a secondary school teacher, just log in or register on the Studio You website, where you'll find the video in the 'Teacher Hub'.

Watch the broadcast

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

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

What was the event?

BBC Radio 1Xtra presenter Swarzy was the host of the inspirational event at a school in East London, as a panel of relatable voices shared their personal stories, challenged negative narratives, and tackled taboos, as you can see in this highlights video.

Studio You live event highlights

The venue was Mulberry Academy in Shoreditch, where students were joined by those listening in around the country to the informal discussion between the diverse panellists, who included: 

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

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

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

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

A group of secondary school students sat on chairs in a sports hall watch a panel discussion between a host and five women.

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

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

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

"I hope if girls take just one thing away from the event, it’s that movement and activity is for everyone. Labels like sporty and not sporty aren’t helpful – at Studio You, we’re here to help girls find what feels right for them."

Dani Ward

This Girl Can campaign activation manager

A screengrab of a website hosting a live streaming of a panel discussion in front of students in a secondary school sports hall. A stream of live questions is shown on the right.

What is Studio You?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read more about our latest research

Find out more

Register for Studio You, spread the word to PE teachers in your network and support our quest to help girls experience the joy of being active.

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