The statistics are not in our favour. 1.25 million people in the UK live with an eating disorder and around 75% of these are female (BEAT, 2021). Jessica Briggs, Deputy Head of Pastoral Care at Sherborne Girls, talks about how schools can help girls have a more positive body image.

At Sherborne Girls we seek to surround our pupils with people who are body positive and through our Parents’ Pastoral Seminars we encourage our parents to open conversations with their daughters around who they follow on social media (asking do they make you feel good about yourself?  If not, it’s time to press unfollow). We have found that this enables parents to discuss body image without it being personal or regarded as intrusive. When looking at images of people online it is useful to reflect on the difference between ‘Instagram and Reality’.

Our in-House dining based culture helps our resident pastoral staff to closely, yet discreetly, monitor pupils’ food intake and attitude towards meals. We shield pupils from emotive language around food, such as ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods and instead use monthly ‘pop-up’ kitchens to prompt a series of healthy eating messages. The Michaelmas term saw pop-ups themed on potatoes and apples. Our focus is on local and seasonal produce being cooked or presented a different way (brussel sprout muffins at Christmas were interesting!). Our subtle messaging is around celebrating food and thus ourselves.

Last year’s ‘Sport in her Shoes’ conference, hosted in collaboration with The Well HQ, was attended by 250 girls aged 13-19 and their coaches. Topics included: Puberty – what happens to a girl’s body and mind; Breast health; and Optimising training and performing through the menstrual cycle. Although many of these topics are covered within PSHEE lessons, we want to give girls a greater understanding of their own bodies and how the practical application of that knowledge can give them the confidence to achieve what they are capable of. By educating and empowering the girls about their bodies we hope they can thrive in sport, as well as in life.

In September 2021 we invited the RAP Project into Sherborne Girls to lead a range of body positive sessions, including their popular ‘airbrushed, altered and unrealistic’ talk which really resonated with our M5 (Year 10) girls. We have also made a conscious effort to focus on building self-esteem and have been working closely with James Shone to emphasise this message to our pupils. James Shone’s charity ‘I can & I am’ aims to inspire confidence in every individual to enable them to know who they are and what they are able to do.

Ultimately, it is our character, values, personality, talents, skills, interests and connections with others which really define who we are. If we want to beat the statistic then we need to move away from the next generation viewing their bodies as objects to be assessed, rated and praised and instead help them to see their bodies as a reflection of their strength, health and commitment to taking care of themselves.