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This Girl Can School Games

In October 2024, Energize Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin hosted a series of This Girl Can School Games events at Lilleshall National Sports & Conferencing Centre. These events were designed to inspire more girls to embrace physical activity and explore new sports in a fun and supportive environment.

Over 400 pupils from primary and secondary schools across Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin participated, with 250 primary pupils and 150 secondary pupils taking part. The events offered a variety of activities, including Archery, Boccia, Boxing, Kwik Cricket, and Squash, ensuring there was something for everyone to try.

Days of Discovery and Confidence Building

Feedback from pupils highlighted the impact of the events, with the majority rating their experience highly. For primary pupils, engagement and excitement grew throughout the day, as reflected in scores that showed increased happiness by the end of the event​. Secondary pupils echoed similar sentiments, with participants expressing enthusiasm for trying new sports and enjoying the camaraderie of the day​.

Breaking Barriers to Participation

The events also addressed barriers that often limit girls' engagement in physical activity, such as confidence and self-esteem challenges, peer pressure, and mixed-gender settings. By creating a welcoming space and providing a wide range of activities, the School Games events empowered participants to explore what they enjoy most about being active​. 

The Impact

The feedback from the two This Girl Can School Games events was revealing and conclusive. 

• A huge majority of both primary and secondary school pupils enjoyed the events, scoring 10/10 for enjoyment.

• The majority of Primary school pupils prefer informal activity - eg. going to the gym/kickabout/walk/social game of frisbee or table tennis compared to structured PE.

• Whereas, secondary school pupils prefer organised activity - eg. sports club/league/group or class.

And we gathered some feedback from Teaching Staff too..

• What do you believe motivates girls to participate in physical activities? 

  Peer influence = 83%

  School incentives = 61%

  Personal interest = 57%

  Parent/family encouragement = 70%

  Connect with friends = 78%

• What challenges do you think girls face in maintaining a high level of physical activity at school? 

  Confidence/self esteem = 87%

  Peer pressure or social factors = 70%

  Not wanting to participate in mixed gender activities = 57%

Watch our video below to see the highlights of the This Girl Can secondary school games event in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin:

A Collaborative Success

None of this would have been possible without the collaboration and support of our fantastic partners:

• Lilleshall National Sports Centre

• Brightstar Boxing

• Shropshire Cricket Board

• Boccia England

• Archery GB

• Shropshire Squash Academy

• Youth Sport Trust

• Shropshire Homes

• Sport England

• Active Partnerships

We extend a heartfelt thank you to all involved for their dedication and enthusiasm in making these events a success!

Find out more about our School Games events.