Primary school teachers get on their bikes to bring cycling to PE classes
Staff from 17 Shropshire primary schools have received free Bikeability training that is teaching them the skills needed to deliver basic off-road cycle training as part of PE lessons.
The scheme is part of a new cycle training pilot funded by the Department for Transport and supported by the Department for Education.
In July this year all primary schools in the Shropshire Council area were invited to take part in the pilot. In total 115 schools responded.
Of these schools, 17 were invited to take part in the first round, with teaching staff receiving their training last Friday.
The schools 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.