Hundreds of Shropshire schoolchildren to benefit from balance bike training

Bikeability Balance training at The Meadows Primary School in Oswestry earlier this month.

An additional 2000 Shropshire schoolchildren will benefit from Bikeability Balance – free balance bike training – thanks to a successful bid by Shropshire Council to the Department for Transport’s Bikeability Trust.

Bikeability Balance is a fun activity that helps children as young as four and five years-old to learn how to balance and control a small bike, making it easier for them to progress onto riding a pedal bike whilst not being held back by stabilisers.

Shropshire Council introduced the Bikeability Balance programme at Christ Church CE Primary School, Cressage in 2017 in partnership with Learn Cycling, Shropshire’s cycle training provider. Until now the scheme has been self-funded, but thanks to the Government grant the number of children who can take part has increased from 300 to 2000 during the 2021/22 school year.

Shropshire Council’s public health team got the scheme off to a flying start by funding a fleet of 15 balance bikes, a small pedal bike and helmets which participating schools can access.

With this funding, Shropshire Council are now to offer a balance bike to every child at the start of their school life.

Bikeability Balance training at The Meadows Primary School in Oswestry earlier this month.

Cecilia Motley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for cycling, said:

“This is now turning in to a trailblazing project, a game changer for promoting cycling in Shropshire.

“Balance bikes have proved a very effective way to help young children balance and steer. It’s fantastic that Shropshire Council has been successful in our application for balance funding which will see the scheme go from strength to strength.

“Teaching children cycling skills early on is very important for their confidence and ultimately their safety. The sessions will provide the children with valuable exercise and a positive early introduction to cycling as a fantastic form of physical activity.”

Sam Cartlidge of Learn Cycling said:

“With Bikeability Balance, using fun games and play children get a very happy, positive experience of riding a bike right at the start of their school life. With skills and confidence, this will improve the voluntary uptake in the main Bikeability cycle training – the new ‘cycle proficiency’ – scheme available later in primary school. In turn, it will see more children cycling as teenagers and into adulthood, for both leisure and as a mode of travel.”

Further information

Learn Cycling have experience of delivering Bikeability Balance in Shropshire as a charged service (i.e. without any Dft Bikeability grant) since September 2017. 294 children were trained in schools during 18/19. (634 in total between September 2017 and May 2019). It has been popular with schools keen to introduce cycle training in their early years and establish a whole school cycle training programme. The cycle training provider Learncycling reports there has been a significant increase in interest now funding is available, and the service can be provided free of charge.

Bikeability research has found that 40% of six-year-olds are unable to ride a bike. Part of the reason for this is that children often get stuck using a bike with stabilisers or a tricycle and are unable to progress easily to using a bike without stabilisers.

Bikeability Balance is relatively simple to deliver using an outdoor space such as a playground or, when the weather is poor, a school hall. Sessions can involve all the children in the class/year group in the same way all children will be involved in a PE lesson.

Learn Cycling are recruiting additional instructors ready for September to have the staffing capacity to deliver Bikeability Balance and their other cycle training courses.

This is a module that can be delivered in the autumn and winter months as it can be delivered indoors, and weather doesn’t have any negative impact. Particular focus on delivery of Bikeability Balance will take place in December, January and February.

Learn Cycling have their own fleet of balance bikes thanks to a Shropshire Public Health grant and a growing number of schools also have their own sets of bikes. They will be using their own resources to increase the size of the balance bike fleet and small pedal bike.