What is Get Cycling in Schools?
Get Cycling in Schools is a fully funded programme created by The Bikeability Trust, the experts responsible for the Department for Transport’s Bikeability cycle training. This new, innovative programme offers primary-school teaching staff across England the chance to learn how to deliver cycle skills to their pupils.
Staff training is free, takes just half a day, and is available for up to 2 staff per school. Your school will also receive a fleet of 6 balance bikes and helmets to enable all pupils, regardless of whether they own a bike, to take part.
The training will teach staff how to teach pupils to balance, glide and pedal using a combination of online e-learning, supporting resources and practical training. Training is designed to empower teachers to teach cycling skills, regardless of their level of experience or own cycling ability.
So far, over 700 teaching staff from over 400 schools have taken part.
Register today to join us
Good for your school
Offers your teaching staff a brand-new skill
Provides 6 free balance bikes and helmets
Encourages active cycling, reducing vehicle congestion around school gates
Promotes a greener, more sustainable environment for all
Good for your pupils
Gets children excited about being active and learning a new skill
Builds gross motor skills, setting them up for a healthy future
Develops confidence and independence
Improves listening, attention and understanding
To qualify for the Get Cycling in Schools programme, you must provide:
Up to 2 teaching staff to complete training
A traffic-free setting, such as a playground, for pupils to learn to cycle
Ongoing maintenance and storage of balance bikes and helmets
Monitoring and evaluation data, using our quick and easy feedback tool
Register now to take part in Get Cycling in Schools training:
What schools often ask us
Training for teaching staff
Any teaching staff can take part in the training, including teachers, teaching assistants and other support staff.
Training for teaching staff includes half a day of practical training, supplemented by a 1-hour e-learning module. Teaching staff will receive printed activity booklets and lesson plans, as well as permanent access to e-learning and additional digital resources after the training is completed.
Training is due to take place in the Spring Term, 2025. Once you have registered your interest, we will be in touch to arrange an exact date in your local area.
The half day of practical training will be in a suitable venue (tbc) within each county area. The training is free but any travel costs must be funded by the school. We always try to ensure travel distances are kept at a minimum.
Practical training will take half a day and e-learning will take approximately 1 hour. The module will save as you go, so you can complete it at times convenient to you.
No, teaching staff do not need to be able to cycle or own their own cycle. However, once they’ve learnt to teach these cycle skills, we’re confident they’ll be cycling too!
What schools often ask us
Delivering Get Cycling in Schools
There are three modules that make up Get Cycling in Schools: Balance, Learn to Ride, and Ride. All modules take place off-road, normally on a school playground.
Balance is suitable for nursery school age upwards, using games to help pupils develop cycle handling and awareness skills on balance bikes.
Learn to Ride is for pupils unable to ride a two-wheeled pedal cycle without support. Pupils unable to balance should start with Balance before moving on to this module.
Ride develops pupils’ cycle handling and control skills on pedal cycles through games. This prepares them to make journeys using infrastructure like segregated cycle lanes.
Once your teaching staff have completed their practical training and e-learning, they are ready to start teaching your pupils.
You have complete flexibility to decide the best way to fit Get Cycling in Schools into your school timetable. Schools often choose to copy the way they deliver swimming or PE. This could be once a week, every day during an activities week, or as a breakfast or lunchtime activity.
This is your choice – be flexible to fit in with your school timetable. We recommended 45 minutes per session and between 4 and 6 sessions should cover all the goals of each module.
This is completely normal, and the short answer is, it is your choice. Teaching staff will have learnt some tips to manage this during their practical training. Many teachers prefer to include all pupils in each module regardless of ability and children who can pedal still enjoy and benefit from the Balance module.
Yes, Bikeability, including the Get Cycling in Schools programme, is designed to be taught to children or adults of any age. You can adapt the lessons to the age and interests of the child. Remember to make sure that older pupils use a cycle that fits them.
Yes, there are certificates for each module (Balance, Learn to Ride, Ride) in the resources section of the online training platform. These can be printed and presented to children.
Your school will receive the bikes and helmets in the week following the completion of teaching staff’s practical training day.
You may use PE and sport premium to purchase extra balance bikes or pedal cycles, if sufficient funding is available for your school.
Discount fleets of cycles are available to schools from our industry partners. Please email getcycling@bikeabilitytrust.org to find out more.
We do not provide adapted cycles as part of this project, but we work closely with Wheels for All. Their website lists centres across England which provide specially adapted cycles: https://wheelsforall.org.uk/locations.
What schools often ask us
Continuing Get Cycling in Schools
You are responsible for the maintenance and storage of your bikes and helmets. We have worked closely with top quality cycle brands to ensure that your bikes and helmets are designed to last at least 5 years.
No, there will be no further training required once staff complete their practical and e-learning. We will ask teachers to confirm they are still delivering Get Cycling in Schools on an annual basis.
Get Cycling in Schools teaching staff will also be asked to complete a short survey once a year, at the end of the Summer term. The survey is optional, but this feedback will help us review and improve the programme.
Monitoring and evaluation is quick and simple. You simply need to tell us which modules you have delivered and how many children attended them.
We recommend that you complete a brief hands-up survey with your pupils after they complete a module to understand the impact it has had on them. We also provide you with a survey to send back to their parents/carers to complete, if you wish to distribute this.
If your Get Cycling in Schools lead leaves your school, or you are a Get Cycling in Schools lead who wants to deliver the course at your new school, please get in touch. Email getcycling@bikeabilitytrust.org.
What schools often ask us
Bikeability cycle training
Bikeability Level 1 and 2 cycle training is delivered to Key Stage 2 pupils by professional Bikeability instructors. The Get Cycling in Schools programme prepares your pupils for this training, by teaching important skills early. We recommend that all schools offer both Get Cycling in Schools and Bikeability to their pupils.
If you’d like to arrange Level 1 or 2 Bikeability cycle training in your school, enter your postcode into our tool to find your local training provider: https://www.bikeability.org.uk/find-cycle-training/
The Bikeability Trust also offers Cycle to School Week resources, curriculum resources for EYFS, KS1 and KS2, and exciting competitions. Just sign up to our schools mailing list.
