Mrs Katie Lauder is Director of Sport at Downe, where she leads the school’s vision for physical education and girls’ sport, championing initiatives that support confidence, wellbeing, and lifelong participation in physical activity. This time, Katie explores how we can help empower girls through sport by removing barriers to participation.

I’m excited to share this new blog, where I’ll be reflecting on the role of sport and physical activity in developing our girls and the importance of staying active both at school and beyond. Over the coming posts, I’ll cover key discussions in women’s sport today, highlight what Downe is doing differently to support our girls, and share initiatives that aim to inspire, educate, and empower them both on and off the field. 

At Downe, our role as a school is to educate the whole child, helping each girl develop the skills, confidence, and resilience she needs for life beyond the classroom. 

A young person’s experiences are never neatly contained within one lesson or one part of the school day. A pupil who has worked hard for a test and feels disappointed with the result doesn’t leave that feeling at the classroom door when they come out onto the field. An injury can impact wellbeing and mood. A poor night’s sleep can influence concentration, motivation, and behaviour the next day. Learning, physical health, and emotional wellbeing are deeply connected, and no single area exists in isolation. 

This is why physical activity plays such an important role in school life. Research consistently shows that regular movement supports not only physical health, but also cognitive functioning, mental wellbeing, concentration, confidence, and resilience. Sport and physical activity also helps young people develop skills that are increasingly valued far beyond school: teamwork, adaptability, goal-setting, learning from setbacks, and perseverance when things feel difficult. 

However, staying active isn’t always straightforward, particularly for girls. 

As girls grow and change, they experience key transition points –  puberty, adolescence, and later in life, university, work, potential pregnancy, post-partum, and menopause. Evidence shows that girls and women are likely to drop out of physical activity during these stages. Often, the reasons aren’t about motivation or ability, but about confidence, comfort, and feeling supported. 

One frequently overlooked barrier is something very practical: appropriate kit, especially sports bras. Discomfort, pain, embarrassment, or simply not knowing what level of support is right can be enough to put girls off being active altogether. These may seem like small issues, but they can have a lasting impact on a young person’s relationship with movement and sport. 

As an all-girls school, we believe we have both an opportunity and a responsibility to address these challenges openly and positively. By educating our students, normalising conversations around their changing bodies, and removing avoidable barriers, we can help girls build confidence and feel empowered to stay active throughout their lives. 

This belief was brought to life recently through our two-day workshop and sports bra measurement and fitting service with PEBE. Over the course of the sessions, girls engaged thoughtfully and maturely with the content, asking insightful questions and taking real ownership of their learning. The atmosphere was open, positive, and empowering – exactly what we hope to foster around conversations of health, wellbeing, and physical activity. 

Even as Director of Sport, I found myself learning something new in nearly every session I attended. Perhaps most importantly, I saw girls growing in confidence, seeking knowledge, supporting one another, and recognising that their comfort and wellbeing matter. Watching them engage so positively was a genuine source of pride and a powerful reminder of why this work is so important. 

We are incredibly grateful to PEBE for their expertise and sensitivity, and proud of the way our students embraced the opportunity. Initiatives like this are not simply about sport; they are about education, confidence, and setting our girls up for a healthy, active future.