Staff at 10 further primary schools to receive free cycling training

Teaching staff from a further 10 Shropshire primary schools are to receive free Bikeability training – to learn the skills needed to deliver basic off-road cycle training as part of PE lessons.

Staff from 17 schools have already received the training, and Shropshire Council has been awarded additional funding to provide training to another 10.

The 27 schools (and 54 staff members – two per school) receiving training is the highest for any council in England.

It’s part of a new cycle training pilot funded by the Department for Transport and supported by the Department for Education.

In July [2023] all primary schools in the Shropshire Council area were invited to take part in the pilot. In total 115 schools responded.

The ten schools that will shortly receive training are:

• Woore Primary and Nursery
• Mount Pleasant Primary, Shrewsbury
• Mereside CE Primary, Shrewsbury
• Criftins CE Primary
• Kinlet C of E Primary
• Woodside Primary, Oswestry
• Cheswardine Primary
• The Whitchurch CofE Federation
• St Mary’s C of E Primary, Bucknell
• St Martins School 3-16 Learning Community

The 17 schools that have already received training are:

• Highley Community Primary School
• St Mary’s Bluecoat CofE,  Bridgnorth
• Stokesay Primary School, Craven Arms
• Lydbury North CE Primary School
• Longlands Primary School, Market Drayton
• Our Lady and St Oswald’s Catholic Primary School, Oswestry
• Buntingsdale Nursery and Primary School
• Holy Trinity CofE Primary and Nursery, Oswestry
• Sundorne Infants and Harlescott Junior, Shrewsbury
• Wilfred Owen Primary School, Shrewsbury
• The Grange Primary School, Shrewsbury
• Minsterley Primary School
• Whittington CE Primary School
• Cockshutt Primary School
• Shrewsbury Cathedral Catholic Primary School and Nursery
• Prees CE Primary School
• Bishop’s Castle Primary School

All schools taking part in the pilot receive free training for staff – plus six balance bikes and helmets free of charge.

As places are limited, the remaining schools will be invited to take part over the next two academic years.

Kirstie Hurst-Knight, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for children and education, said:

“The pilot will give our teaching staff the skills to deliver cycle training and help our children to grow up with the ability and confidence to cycle on the road.

“Thank you again to all the schools that expressed an interest in this training. It’s brilliant that there is so much interest in delivering cycle training in our schools.

“I’m delighted that staff from the first 17 schools have now had their training and we look forward to working with more schools in the near future.”

This project is separate to the current Bikeability programme that the council offers, where professional instructors visit a school to deliver Level 2 training to years 5 and 6. This programme will continue.

Further information

This is a pilot programme, and will be evaluated for its effectiveness, including: how well it fits into school curriculum; appetite amongst school staff; how straightforward it is to access and take part in training, and how prepared staff feel after training. The impact on pupils will also be measured.

Participating schools commit to:

• Allowing at least two staff members to receive training; this may include teaching assistant staff. Each staff member will need to undertake training, which will include online learning as well as practical instruction. Training is free of charge.
• Providing cycle training in a traffic free setting for their pupils in nursery, reception and year 1. Programmes will be bespoke to each school depending on time and staff available, and staff will be supported to create these programmes. Staff should expect to deliver at least one session per class per week.