Body Shaming in Sports Coaching

#29 —

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: We recommend that the Government issue guidance making clear that schools are expected to adopt PE kit and uniform policies that prioritise comfort, inclusivity and dignity—particularly for girls and pupils with protected characteristics. Schools should work directly with students to …

Response Pending

#16 — Mandate Sport England to oversee Swim England's response to coaching issues and culture.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: Public weighing and body-shaming of girls and young women is wholly unacceptable. That this should have occurred in a sports environment, in which girls already face barriers to participation, is deplorable. Swim England must restore trust in swimming’s coaching practices …

Gov response: The Government welcomes the Women and Equalities Select Committee report on health barriers for girls and women in sport. We recognise the need for more awareness and understanding of the health and physiological needs of …

Under Consideration

#31 —

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: We recommend that the Government require and support schools to deliver a broader and more inclusive PE curriculum that prioritises enjoyment, comfort and a welcoming environment for all pupils. Alongside a wider range of activities, we recommend that schools should …

Response Pending

#17 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: Young people are particularly at risk of developing poor body image, and access to social media and other online content is linked with negative feelings about appearance. We recommend that the Government ensures that any age verification or assurance processes …

Gov response: The Online Safety Bill is intended to protect children wherever they are online. This includes services which are not targeted at children but which they are accessing. All services in scope will need to prove …

Not Addressed

#13 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: The Committee was pleased to see some progress on the Government’s Online Harms legislation during our inquiry. We are of the view that any online content and activity that contributes to the proliferation of negative body image is a ‘harm’ …

Gov response: The Online Safety Bill was published in draft on 12 May, and will be subject to pre- legislative scrutiny in this session. This is a major milestone in the development of a new regulatory framework …

Not Addressed

#12 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: We were pleased to hear from companies who are committed to advertising their products by using real, honest images. However, a significant number of advertisers continue to rely heavily on image editing. It is clear that the constant bombardment of …

Gov response: It is not the government’s current intention to legislate on altered images in advertising. We want to make sure that any government intervention on body image makes a real and positive difference. At present, there …

Not Addressed

#8 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: Weighing children in primary schools under the National Child Measurement Programme is likely to cause harm to children’s mental health and could hinder the development of a positive body image. This is particularly damaging for Black children who are more …

Gov response: Public Health England (PHE) has a rigorous approach to reviewing the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) on an annual basis, which includes extensive review of evidence and consultation with stakeholders including families, and healthcare professionals …

Not Addressed

#5 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: The current Obesity Strategy is at best ineffective and at worst perpetuating unhealthy behaviours. It is likely to be dangerous for those with negative body image, including those at risk of developing eating disorders. In the short term, we have …

Gov response: Obesity is a complex problem caused by many different factors to which there is no single solution. It is a leading cause of serious diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, some cancers7 and …

Not Addressed

#4 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: We are hugely saddened to hear of the number of people who have faced appearance and weight-based discrimination when accessing NHS services. There is no way to quantify the damage this has done to individuals’ mental and physical health. We …

Gov response: 4. Improving eating disorder services is a key priority for the government and a fundamental part of our commitment to improve mental health services. The Department has funded various studies through the National Institute for …

Under Consideration

#1 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: People face appearance-based discrimination on a daily basis, at work, in schools and in public spaces. Whilst we were disappointed not to hear from the Government Equalities Office on their assessment of appearance-based discrimination, we are pleased that the Government …

Gov response: 2. EHRC have responded directly to the Committee, a copy of their response is attached. How can we stop negative body image affecting our mental and physical Health?

Under Consideration

#30 —

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: Evidence shows that a narrow, traditional PE curriculum often alienates pupils who feel less confident or “sporty”, particularly girls and children with SEND. Broadening the offer to include non‑traditional sports, dance and outdoor activities helps make PE more enjoyable and …

Response Pending

#16 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: We welcome Ofcom’s role in regulating online harms and Parliament’s role in identifying harms. We recommend that the Government work closely with the UKRI and Ofcom to ensure that online harms legislation sufficiently encompasses protections from harms caused by body …

Gov response: The legislation will define the harmful content and activity covered by the regime. This includes illegal content and activity, legal but harmful content and activity for children, and legal but harmful content and activity for …

Not Addressed

#15 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: We were pleased to hear that the Government recognises the impact social media can have on body image and that it is encouraging social media companies to take more responsibility for the content on their platforms. We are also pleased …

Gov response: We know that more needs to be done to understand the link between online harmful content and eating disorders. DHSC through the NIHR has funded a systematic review to explore the relationship between social networking …

Not Addressed

#14 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: Despite the number of controls in place on social media platforms, users continuously experience content that, by the platforms’ own admission, shouldn’t be accessible. We 44 Changing the perfect picture: an inquiry into body image recommend that the Government should …

Gov response: In the case of advertising, the ASA sets out the advertising rules for social media companies (and all other actors who advertise online) through their CAP codes. These codes form a self-regulatory framework that hold …

Not Addressed

#11 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: Whilst the Committee was pleased to see that TfL has taken steps to protect Londoners from advertisements that could promote body dissatisfaction and bolster diverse advertising on their network, we were disappointed it had not been fully evaluated to properly …

Gov response: As part of the Government’s Online Advertising Programme we will further engage with stakeholders such as TfL and the wider advertising ecosystem on this issue. We will provide the Committee with an update in November …

Not Addressed

#10 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: We commend the Government for launching a consultation on online advertising in the Spring and are encouraged that the ASA will be consulting on body image as well as racial stereotyping in 2021. We recommend that the Government works closely …

Gov response: We will continue to work with industry and the ASA, who held a public consultation on cosmetic interventions in 202029 and are following this up with a call for evidence on body image.30 Government will …

Not Addressed

#9 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: The Committee is disappointed about the lack of diversity in adverts both on and offline. We urgently want to see more companies advertising with real images of people from a diverse range of ethnicities, abilities, sexualities, genders, body shapes and …

Gov response: The ASA has a number of work streams that consider diversity in advertising and its impacts. One of these important strands is their work to review racial and ethnic stereotyping in advertising.28 The Government will …

Not Addressed

#7 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: Encouraging positive body image during childhood and adolescence must be a priority. We commend the Government for introducing body image into the RSHE curriculum last year and hope this creates an opportunity for schools to address the concerns young people …

Gov response: The statutory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum became compulsory in September 2020, with flexibilities introduced so schools did not have to start teaching until the summer terms 2021, to accommodate COVID-related school closures. …

Not Addressed

#2 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: Lockdown has undoubtedly worsened existing body image anxieties and inspired new insecurities for thousands of people across the country. In particular, we are alarmed by the rapidly rising rates in eating disorders and other mental health conditions. The impact of …

Gov response: 2. EHRC have responded directly to the Committee, a copy of their response is attached. How can we stop negative body image affecting our mental and physical Health?

Under Consideration

#15 —

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: We recommend that the Government immediately mandate the Health and Safety Executive to work with National Governing Bodies of all sports to establish, by July 2022, a national framework for the reporting of sporting injuries. Within a year of the …

Gov response: The Government agrees in part with this recommendation. The Government supports greater and more accurate recording of sports concussion incidents but believes that other organisations are better placed to collate and use this information than …

Under Consideration

#4 — Review school PE kit guidance to ensure widest choice for girls, including sports bras.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: The evidence on girls’ anxieties around PE kit is overwhelming. We recommend the Department for Education and National Physical Activity Taskforce review guidance for schools on school PE kit, with the aim of ensuring all schools permit the widest possible …

Gov response: The Government accepts this recommendation. The National Physical Activity Taskforce (NPAT) meets quarterly and has held three productive meetings since its launch in September 2023. The next NPAT meeting is scheduled for June 2024. To …

Accepted

#41 —

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: Volunteers are essential to the delivery of community sport. Across the country, thousands of people give their time to coach, officiate and support grassroots clubs, often sustaining provision that would not otherwise exist. We want everyone to have the chance …

Response Pending

#34 —

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: We recommend that the Government should provide national funding and guidance to enable local authorities, clubs and community organisations to expand inclusive initiatives, (such as Play Streets, walking sports and evidence‑backed programmes like Big Sister), prioritising those that engage older …

Response Pending

#6 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: We are disappointed to learn that there have been no reviews of the effectiveness of the current or previous obesity strategies, and we cannot support much-criticised and unevaluated weight-loss policies. The Government must only use evidence- based policies in its …

Gov response: The Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) overarching, peer-reviewed evaluation strategy for the childhood obesity programme aims to maximise learning and feedback from what are clearly innovative interventions as well as supporting a wider …

Not Addressed

#3 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: Many organisations and academics have found that prevention and early intervention are likely to reduce eating disorder rates as well as hospitalisations and deaths. It is important that the alarming rise in eating disorder rates is addressed as the country …

Gov response: 4. Improving eating disorder services is a key priority for the government and a fundamental part of our commitment to improve mental health services. The Department has funded various studies through the National Institute for …

Under Consideration

#21 —

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: It will never be possible to ensure that sport is one hundred percent safe. It should, however, be expected that participants are aware of the risks involved and that there is a precautionary approach to risk management. The Government cannot …

Gov response: The Government agrees with these recommendations. The actions set out in this report demonstrate the level of ambition held by this Government to ensure sport is as safe as possible for all participants. The Department …

Under Consideration

#17 —

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: We also recommend that the Government convene its own specialist group on concussion, drawing on campaign groups, relevant scientific expertise and sporting institutes to assess, every four years, the emerging science on this issue. This group should take a broader …

Gov response: The Government agrees with this recommendation, and will task the “sports concussion research forum” to undertake this role, and define its full brief and reporting timeframe.

Under Consideration

#12 —

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: The problems faced by both football and rugby are common to a multitude of other sports which do not have the same media attention or the same resources to apply to possible solutions. One of the biggest problems is the …

Gov response: The Government agrees with these recommendations. The actions set out in this report demonstrate the level of ambition held by this Government to ensure sport is as safe as possible for all participants. The Department …

Under Consideration

#17 — Require DCMS to publish detailed insights, next steps, and timetable for integrity in sport.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: Issues of bullying, harassment, abuse, and discrimination are not limited to swimming, with issues emerging across several sports in recent years. We welcome the DCMS’s call for evidence on integrity in sport, which closed three months ago, and expect to …

Gov response: The Government accepts this recommendation. Sport needs to be a welcoming, inclusive and fair environment that participants and their parents or guardians can have confidence in. We also want to ensure that we have the …

Accepted

#5 — Launch "This Girl Can" campaign for parents and update School Sport Action Plan targets.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: We recommend Sport England launch a new strand of the “This Girl Can” campaign aimed at parents, tackling early years gender stereotypes around physical activity and sport. This should include a specific focus on the positive role fathers can play …

Gov response: The Government and Sport England accept this recommendation. Sport England is the arm’s length body of Government with responsibility for growing and developing grassroots sport and getting more people active across England. Decisions on the …

Under Consideration

#1 — Existing programmes fail to address girls' health barriers or reverse declining PE enjoyment.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: Girls face a number of distinctive health and physiology-related barriers to participation in, and enjoyment of, sport and physical activity, from early years to post-puberty. Existing programmes and interventions from the Government and other bodies, while welcome, do not yet …

Gov response: Relationships, Sex and Health Education The Government partially accepts the recommendation as menstruation is taught as part of the statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum. The Health Education curriculum in England became compulsory …

Partially Accepted

#23 —

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: Physical education and daily movement are not being fully utilised in schools, leaving too many children, particularly the least active, without the health, wellbeing and learning benefits that regular activity provides. Curriculum time for PE has declined, its non‑core status …

Response Pending

#18 —

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: We find it difficult to see any downside of a coherent UK-wide protocol for concussion and recommend that the Government look to the Scottish model and then work with the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to develop, …

Gov response: The Government agrees with this recommendation. The Sports Ministers of the four home nations have discussed this proposal and agreed in principle to develop a shared set of protocols, common across all four nations based …

Under Consideration

#13 —

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: The protections afforded by the state to workers apply as much to footballers and jockeys as they do to miners and construction workers. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 was a landmark piece of legislation to protect the …

Gov response: The Government agrees in part with this recommendation. The Government supports greater and more accurate recording of sports concussion incidents but believes that other organisations are better placed to collate and use this information than …

Under Consideration

#11 —

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: Football’s engagement with the issue of concussion, both in England and internationally, has taken too long and its current prominence is due to the campaigning of organisations like the Jeff Astle Foundation and prominent spokespersons like Chris Sutton. We would …

Gov response: The Government agrees with these recommendations. The actions set out in this report demonstrate the level of ambition held by this Government to ensure sport is as safe as possible for all participants. The Department …

Under Consideration

#30 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: In response to the alarming increase in desire for cosmetic surgery among teenagers, the Department of Health and Social Care should work with the Department for Education to integrate evidence-based body image and social media literacy programmes into school curricula. …

Response Pending

#29 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: One way of addressing the risks posed by social media around cosmetic surgery and body image is through education. Proactive interventions in an educational setting can equip young people with the skills to critically engage with social media content and …

Response Pending

#15 — Obesity reduction requires tackling weight stigma alongside improving population health.

Health and Social Care Committee

Recommendation: Throughout the inquiry, we have been aware of the importance and complexities involved in tackling obesity rates to improve population health and reducing weight stigma to not perpetuate mental and physical health issues.

Gov response: In April 2022, the Health and Care Act gave the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care the power to introduce a licensing regime for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England . The purpose of …

Under Consideration

#1 — Initiate comprehensive cross-government strategy to tackle growing problem of body dissatisfaction and its consequences.

Health and Social Care Committee

Recommendation: We urge the Government to immediately initiate a comprehensive cross-government strategy that brings together, at the very least, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and the Department for Education to tackle …

Gov response: We strongly agree with the committee that there is a need for cross-government work to address the issues raised in the inquiry and we are already taking forward action. There is not an immediate need …

Accepted

#37 —

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: Increasing women’s participation in sport depends not only on opportunities to play, but also on visibility and representation. Evidence shows that when women’s sport is regularly broadcast, especially on free‑to‑air TV, girls are more likely to feel inspired and motivated …

Response Pending

#20 —

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: We are concerned that there is history of the Government looking into issues of sporting safety and failing to follow through with practical interventions that would Concussion in sport 33 make a difference to the safety and health of those …

Gov response: The Government agrees with these recommendations. The actions set out in this report demonstrate the level of ambition held by this Government to ensure sport is as safe as possible for all participants. The Department …

Under Consideration

#14 —

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: Our inquiry into concussion has demonstrated that the long-term effects of acquired brain injury are not simply those events that lead to a diagnosis of concussion. Therefore, any impacts that impair clear thinking or involve a heavy impact could contribute …

Under Consideration

#2 —

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: The reality is that, for most people playing sport, there is no one to stop them except themselves, their friends, teammates, and family. That is how far down the knowledge and awareness of concussion and how to respond to it …

Under Consideration

#1 —

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: Despite the need for acquired brain injury to be taken seriously by sport, the detail of which we will come onto later in this Report, both written and oral evidence to this inquiry support the health benefits to people through …

Gov response: As acknowledged in the July 2021 report of the DCMS Select Committee’s Inquiry into Concussion in Sport,1 the health benefits to people through mass participation in sporting activity are tangible, including the potential of reducing …

Under Consideration

#3 —

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: It is vital that player welfare becomes the central concern of the authorities going forward, with the introduction of a form of benevolent fund a pressing need. We support the steps taken on concussion and hope that continues, but we …

Gov response: The report also rightly highlights the impact of recent events on players. The safety, wellbeing and welfare of everyone taking part in rugby and sport in general is of paramount importance. Government encourages the PRL …

Under Consideration

#9 — Update DCMS 'Get Active' strategy with tailored interventions and targets for midlife women.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: We recommend the DCMS update its “Get Active” strategy for the future of sport and physical activity in relation to women in midlife. It should work with organisations including Women in Sport and The Well HQ to include an analysis …

Gov response: The Government accepts this recommendation. 14 Health barriers for girls and women in sport: Government and Sport England responses Sport England will be writing to the Committee to share an assessment of Swim England’s response …

Accepted

#8 — Prioritise another 'This Girl Can' campaign phase focused on inspiring women in midlife.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: We recommend Sport England prioritise another phase of the “This Girl Can” campaign focused on women in midlife, showing real life examples of women in the 40- to 60-year-old age group participating in a wide range of sports and physical …

Gov response: The Government accepts this recommendation. Sport England is in the process of finalising an award to Women in Sport to act as a facilitating agent for the Women in Coaching Taskforce. The taskforce is a …

Accepted

#2 —

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: The proportion of children and young people not achieving the minimum amount of daily activity recommended by the Chief Medical Officer is of significant concern. Before the end of this year, the Government should initiate a nation-wide communications campaign, similar …

Gov response: The Government agrees with the committee that it is important to encourage children and young people to engage in regular physical activity and intends to look further at this in our refreshed sport strategy. We’ve …

Accepted

#19 — Implement an enrichment guarantee for pupils with KPIs focused on improving school attendance.

Education Committee

Recommendation: As the Centre for Social Justice have recommend, the Department should implement an enrichment guarantee for pupils in school including the use of sport, music, drama and art, looking to the youth sector for best practice. This guarantee should have …

Gov response: The Government is committed to supporting children from low-income families to achieve their potential, including £5bn investment in education recovery and £2.9bn annually in the pupil premium. The pupil premium funds evidence-based high-quality teaching, targeted …

Not Addressed

#18 — Promote an overall enrichment guarantee for pupils in school to improve attendance.

Education Committee

Recommendation: The provision of enrichment activities available for pupils has declined in recent years, with £1 billion less spent on youth services than a decade ago. We heard sports-based activities provided by third sector organisations is just one example of enrichment …

Gov response: 18. The Government issued the guidance ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ in May 2022, and it has been widely welcomed both for the ‘support first’ ethos it promotes and the clearer expectations it sets …

Under Consideration