Did you know that just 19% of women take part in at least moderate intensity physical activity for at least thirty minutes three times per week.

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Ongoing WSFF research - Energy

'Auditing natural energy flows of girls and teachers to create a perfect working week'

Background
PE lessons in schools are the greatest opportunity that sports deliverers have of reaching all girls from 4 up to 16 years and showing them that physical activity and sport can be fun and a positive attribute to a woman's life forever. However, as evidence shows, time and time again, many girls do not enjoy their PE lessons and will find any excuse to get out of them. We at the WSFF are painfully aware of this problem and have been actively looking for creative solutions.

The project
Since November 2004 we have been working with The Helen Storey Foundation - a not-for-profit creative organisation and Creative Partnerships - an Arts Council-funded body to develop a project to increase girl's interest in being active - both physically and mentally. The project really got moving in February 2006, when we successfully won funding from the Department for Education and Skills and Creative Partnerships to employ researchers from Sheffield Hallam University and Bedfordshire Schools Improvement Partnership (BSIP) to develop a methodology and carry out the research.

In the first instance the Energy project is an audit of all energy expended by teachers and female students alike across an average week. The difference will be that all actions will be rated, not just physical ones but also those other activities which make up for a balanced life such as time out, contemplation and day dreaming.

Next steps September 2006-February 2007:
The findings of the audit of several schools will be used as the stimuli to design the "perfect week" which matches the teaching and learning experience with natural human energy flow. A trial week of the newly designed timetable will take place in Autumn 2006 and a tool kit for other schools to use will be produced by February 2007.

Creatice Partnerships logo

Helen Story Foundation logo

Bedfordshire Schools Improvement Partnership logo

The Centre for Sport and Exercise Science

Sheffield Hallam University logo

National School Sports Strategy logo

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