The FA and Barclays’ Made for This Game: Breaking Barriers programme has a powerful new phase – handing pupils the tools to become Equality Champions in their own schools, just in time for School Sports Week.
Earlier this year, the FA and Barclays launched Made for This Game: Breaking Barriers – a major national education programme offering free primary and secondary teaching resources to help schools tackle misogyny, gender stereotyping and body confidence issues that prevent girls from fully participating in sport. Now, with School Sports Week (6-12th July) approaching, the programme has expanded with a new phase of classroom sessions designed to deepen that work and make it last.
The new resources build directly on the original tools, taking the themes of Equality Champions and Building Body Confidence further – and crucially, focusing on turning understanding into meaningful action.
What’s new
Designed for KS2 and KS3 pupils, the new sessions extend the programme’s key themes in two important directions:
- Equality Champions: Pupils are empowered to plan and share their own campaign messages – moving from learning about equality to actively championing it among their peers.
- Building Body Confidence: Using the ‘Change, Challenge, Choose’ framework, pupils are helped to reframe their relationship with body image, developing practical strategies to build self-respect and support one another.
Together, the new sessions give pupils the confidence, language and tools to keep these conversations going beyond the classroom – and to help ensure that everyone feels they belong in the game.
Why now – and why it matters
The scale of the challenge facing schools remains significant. Research underpinning the programme found that:
- Over 70% of primary teachers say girls are held back in sport by feeling excluded by boys
- 63% of secondary teachers identify body image and self-consciousness as the biggest barriers for teenage girls
- More than half of teachers say they don’t feel confident discussing misogyny or gender-based issues in the classroom
With School Sports Week approaching and the summer term in full swing, these new sessions give schools a timely, curriculum-relevant way to build on the momentum – whether they’re already using the programme or picking it up for the first time. They sit naturally alongside sports week activities and work equally well within PSHE, wellbeing and inclusion planning through to the end of term.
The full programme
Made for This Game: Breaking Barriers remains fully free for all schools and includes:
Primary school resources (KS2)
- Lesson plans focused on inclusion, challenging gender stereotypes and recognising misogyny in age-appropriate ways
- Activities designed to build empathy, respect and confidence among both girls and boys
- Filmed content featuring Molly Rainford discussing fairness, equality and how early beliefs are shaped
Secondary school resources (KS3)
- Lessons addressing body confidence, mental wellbeing, peer pressure and societal expectations
- Real-life discussion prompts for teens around self-image, resilience and the social barriers that can push girls out of sport
- Video discussions with Molly Rainford and teenage girls exploring how sport, confidence and identity intersect
Teacher podcast
A dedicated visual podcast hosted by comedian Maisie Adam, featuring Lioness Rachel Brown-Finnis and Educating Yorkshire’s Matthew Burton, offering staff practical language, framing and confidence to handle sensitive classroom discussions. Available as a CPD-style resource for whole staff use.
How to access the resources
All resources are completely free and available at: girlsfootballinschools.org/made-for-this-game
