Let's all talk periods.
From A Female P.E. teacher Perspective
With a gender enjoyment gap in PE (87% boys v 66% girls) and a steep decline in girls enjoyment levels of 30% from 86% age 7-8 to 56% age 14-15 the activity levels for teenage girls continue to be a concern of many stakeholders within the physical activity and sport landscape. Most girls in the UK begin their period at around 12 years of age, the age where their physical activity levels, happiness and enjoyment levels all decline rapidly. Periods have consistently been reported as the biggest barrier to teenage girls’ participation, reported by 49% of girls this year and 61% of girls aged 11 and over worry about leaking in their PE kit. [1],
A major national governing body in the form of England Netball has launched its ‘NetballHer’ programme which has been created to educate women and girls at all ages, at all levels of sport, about their bodies across different life stages [2]. Netball England is not alone, coaches, officials and volunteers, across a variety of national governing bodies, are now better equipped to support females train and compete irrespective of what their body throws at them. What particularly caught my attention was that one sport introduced a regulatory part of coaching qualifications to now include puberty education.
Knowing this, I have been inspired to look at the impact of the menstrual cycle within a physical education setting. Having been a Head of PE, and still a teacher of PE, I am not aware of the explicit education of periods, outside of the statutory requirement delivered within an RSHE programme or within Science, all of which are very process driven [3].
I have started to ask questions such as:
- Does a students’ menstrual cycle affect their ability to create positive relationships with sports?
- Are students confident to share any symptoms they may face due to their menstruation?
Digging deeper…
- Are students confident to talk honestly about their menstruation with male teachers?
- Would students value learning more about puberty from a broader curriculum coverage?
To tell you the truth, these questions are ever changing and are generated by the reading I am currently finding myself doing. For example, the insight generated by Period Education UK, and their pupil led focus groups gave ‘pop-out’ statements including [4]:
82% of teachers reported that they felt attendance was affected by periods.
I would try and take the day off because coming into school while I’m on my period is not nice, I am moody and sweaty and stressed about having to do PE on my period.
Therefore, other questions we might consider…
- Can PE actually contribute to school attendance issues?
- Are all staff within a school setting confident to talk periods?
- Do females have different expectations to males when it comes to activity levels and periods?
This blog is not solely a quest to answer these questions, instead it’s the publication of the journey I am embarking on to learn more about the experiences of menstruation within a school setting. My intention is to use the pioneering work of Chella Quint and Period Positive [5] as a guide to set actions to dig deeper within my setting. I will look to engage students and use their thoughts, experiences and insight to drive the journey. As a response from this I will look to see what wider curriculum inclusion I can secure, such as Science, Personal Development and even Geography.
If you have taken the time to read this and if you are inspired to reflect on this within your setting, please share your journey. The more we can learn from one and other, the closer we are to matching the work being undertaken within competitive sport. There is a body of information coming through to develop knowledge in this area, with tangible ideas that are successful examples of how period education is impacting positively on willingness to be active. Examples can be found in the growing work and supporting resources below.
Studio You X Bodyform https://www.studio-you.co.uk/studio-you-bodyform
Period Education https://www.periodeducation.org/
Adidas Breaking Barriers Academy https://www.breakingbarriersacademy.com/
These programmes provide a wide range of free to access resources from educational videos and materials to guide teachers in period education.
Let’s lead by the example of our Lionesses – tackling barriers head first to enact change. Fundamentally, can those of us working within physical education remove menstruation as a potential barrier to positive experiences of physical activity and sport within school?
Author: Sophie Newman (Director of Learning for PE and Vocational Education at New College Leicester).
References
[1] https://www.youthsporttrust.org/research-listings/research/girls-active-national-reports
[4] INSIGHTS AND RESEARCH | Period Education
Celebrating Impact!
We’re excited to announce that Citron Hygiene has generously donated 100,000 sanitary products to over 130 Girls Active schools across the UK!
Through this charity partnership, we're breaking down barriers and ensuring no girl has to miss out on PE or sports due to her period. A massive thank you to Citron Hygiene for their continued support in creating positive change for young people!