Listening First – Using Pupil Voice to Transform Opportunities for Muslim Girls

Context, Intent and Target Group

Background Information

Two secondary schools with a high proportion of Muslim girls approached us with a common challenge. They wanted to better understand why so many girls were disengaging from PE, school sport and physical activity, and how they could create opportunities that genuinely reflected their needs, interests and lived experiences.

Working with approximately 45 girls in each school across Years 7 and 8, we set out to create a safe environment where every young person felt able to speak openly and honestly. Before beginning, we spent time with school leaders to understand what they wanted to learn and the outcomes they hoped to achieve. It quickly became apparent that although the schools were working independently, many of the questions they wanted answered were the same, creating an opportunity to develop a shared approach and identify common themes across both settings.

What was the aim of work?

Rather than making assumptions, we placed young people at the centre of the process. Our aim was to use meaningful pupil voice to better understand the barriers and motivators affecting participation, improve the quality of PE provision, design more inclusive opportunities and ultimately develop a blueprint for delivering high-quality School Games experiences that girls wanted to be part of.

Which outcome(s) did it focus on?

• 3. To have a clear focus on secondary school engagement and transition points
• 4. To support the personal development of targeted young people through youth engagement and leadership

Which expectation(s) did it meet?

• Using local insight and youth engagement to identify young people and schools that would most benefit from a targeted School Games offer.
• Developing a case study to show where you have made the most impact against local priorities, and through effective storytelling share your learning locally and nationally.
• Work with schools to maintain and grow their active engagement in School Games.
• Identify schools that are not engaged and developing strategies to improve this.
• Co-design and deliver a broad and balanced School Games offer that is informed by insight and youth engagement and embeds positive experiences. It is expected that an SGO will facilitate a minimum of 12 targeted inter competitions/events/festivals with clear intent.
• Engage in county, regional and national networking by the Youth Sport Trust. This includes face-to-face and virtual support, Development Coach engagement, monthly updates and your termly review of your development plan.

Intent

Two secondary schools (Sir John Thursby - a mainstream local authority maintained school and Olive Girls High - an independent Islamic Faith school) with a high proportion of Muslim girls approached us with a common challenge. They wanted to better understand why so many girls were disengaging from PE, school sport and physical activity, and how they could create opportunities that genuinely reflected their needs, interests and lived experiences.

Rather than making assumptions, we placed young people at the centre of the process. Our aim was to use meaningful pupil voice to better understand the barriers and motivators affecting participation, improve the quality of PE provision, design more inclusive opportunities and ultimately develop a blueprint for delivering high-quality School Games experiences that girls wanted to be part of.

Target group

• Secondary Schools
• Senior Leaders
• Specific Year Group
• 7

Aligns to Schools Games Intents of:

• Engage new/target groups of young people (tackling inequalities)
• Championing youth engagement

Implementation

To ensure the process was meaningful, we invested in developing our own practice. We attended Youth Voice Practitioner training and used the Street Games and Youth Sport Trust Youth Voice toolkits alongside activities we had designed ourselves.

The consultation was designed to be engaging, interactive and youth-led rather than feeling like a survey. Through small group discussions, voting activities, graffiti walls and collaborative tasks, the girls explored:

• Their experiences of PE.
• Their confidence and motivation to be physically active.
• Barriers preventing participation.
• Activities they enjoyed and wanted to access.
• Their views on school sport and competition.
• What an enjoyable and inclusive School Games event should look and feel like.

Importantly, we didn't rush into asking questions. Time was invested in building relationships, agreeing how information would be shared and creating an environment where girls felt listened to and respected. This trust enabled far richer and more honest conversations.

The consultation revealed that the girls valued physical activity but often lacked confidence to participate. Friendships were a major motivator, whilst concerns around appearance, judgement, confidence, kit, safety and cultural appropriateness influenced participation. Traditional competitive sport was less appealing than fun, informal activities where they could develop skills alongside friends.

Each school received a detailed report summarising findings alongside practical recommendations for immediate and longer-term action.

Impact

Both schools used the findings to review and improve aspects of PE delivery. Changes included reviewing expectations around PE kit and uniform, adapting teaching approaches and considering how lessons could become more active, inclusive and enjoyable. Recommendations around increasing variety, reducing waiting time, allowing greater choice and making learning more accessible were quickly adopted. Beyond individual schools, the combined findings enabled us to identify shared priorities and begin designing opportunities that met the needs of Muslim girls across the area.

The consultation highlighted a clear appetite for:

• Fun, informal physical activity.
• Safe and culturally appropriate environments.
• Activities focused on learning new skills rather than winning.
• Opportunities to participate alongside friends.
• Greater choice and flexibility.

Rather than designing programmes based on assumptions, every new opportunity is now directly informed by young people's voices.

The project has also become the starting point for developing a new School Games blueprint, using pupil insight to define what a high-quality event should look and feel like. The emphasis is shifting away from traditional competition towards experiences that prioritise confidence, belonging, enjoyment and personal development.

The greatest impact has been demonstrating to young people that their opinions matter and that sharing their experiences can lead to genuine change.

Challenges

Meaningful youth voice is not a quick consultation exercise.

The biggest learning was recognising that relationships must come before questions. Taking time to build trust resulted in more honest conversations and richer insights.

Another challenge is ensuring that consultation leads to visible action. Young people quickly lose confidence in the process if they share their views but never see change. Turning findings into practical improvements requires commitment from schools and ongoing collaboration.

A further challenge is ensuring pupil voice is genuinely representative. It is easy to engage only those already involved in sport or school councils, but doing so risks hearing only one perspective. This project deliberately engaged girls whose voices are often underrepresented, resulting in a much more authentic understanding of need.

Sustainability

The consultation process will be repeated with boys to ensure future provision reflects the needs of all young people.

The insight gathered is also shaping the design of future School Games events, ensuring that young people's priorities remain central to planning rather than being considered afterwards.

To build long-term capacity, we are developing a team of Youth Voice Practitioners from our local Further Education college. These students will receive training and mentoring before leading consultations within primary schools as part of their studies. In doing so, they will produce valuable reports for schools while developing practical research, leadership and communication skills.

This approach creates a sustainable model where youth voice becomes embedded across the education system rather than being delivered as a one-off project.

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