Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Written evidence submitted by Dr Alice Porter (Senior Research Associate in Diet and Physical Activity, Bristol Biomedical Research Centre, University of Bristol) (CWSB114)

Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill: call for evidence

Submission to Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

1. The comments of Dr Porter are set out in this briefing to address Clause 23 of the current Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which covers placing statutory limits on the number of branded items of uniform state-funded schools can require to a maximum of three.

2. Placing statutory limits on the number of branded uniform items as published in the Bill is appropriate and important for reducing income-based inequality, where families with lower incomes may struggle to afford branded school uniform items, as they are often more expensive when purchased from school uniform providers compared to standard retailers.

3. The Bill would benefit from a further sub-section on school PE uniform, making it statutory for schools to ensure that PE uniforms are comfortable for and inclusive of all pupils.

4. Physical Education (PE) provides pupils with opportunities to try out different sports, build physical and social skills, and increase their self-confidence. PE lessons can also encourage long-term participation in physical activity, which is crucial for health and well-being. However, evidence shows that many adolescent girls in particular dislike PE because of ill-fitting and uncomfortable PE uniforms.

5. New research evidence shows that secondary school-aged girls would feel more comfortable, less self-conscious and more able to engage in PE lessons if they were allowed more choice over their PE uniform. Key considerations from this research to improve comfort and inclusivity of secondary school PE uniforms are to:

· Allow pupils choice over the type of bottoms they can wear (e.g. shorts, leggings, joggers), providing guidance on suitable colours, materials and branding.

· Allow pupils to wear additional layers, including underlayers/skins, hoodies, jackets and coats.

· Where branded items, such as PE tops are mandatory, offer a variety of styles and sizes without gender labels for pupils to choose from.

· Consider a PE uniform policy which allows pupils to wear their PE uniform all day on the days they have PE lessons to eliminate the need to change during the school day.

References:

Youth Sport Trust. PE and School Sport. The Annual Report 2024

Porter, A., Cawley, E., Chapman, L., Crisp, C., Wadman, R., Barber, S., Penton-Voak, I., Attwood, A., Jago, R., and Bould, H. A qualitative study exploring how secondary school PE uniform policies influence body image, and PE engagement among adolescent girls. [Pre-Print], medRxiv 2025. doi: 10.1101/2024.12.19.24319312

January 2025