Bikeability

[tomb353]

Can anyone tell me how many bikeability training places are being provided at schools in their area?

I'd got the impression that child cycle training had been sorted out, Bikeability was "funded", job done.

Turns out my kids school got no training last year and this year only 12 places offered for a combined level 1 + level 2 course. Over 40 kids applied, 2/3 rejected many of whom will now be off to secondary school without any basic cycle training. Needless to say I am having a conversation with the local council to find out what is happening here but I wondered how far this was from the norm in other primary schools around the country.

[Nutsey]

iirc the cash set aside for bikeability is bigger than ever. i suspect how it is spent is down to your LA, and restricted as they please. a bunch of other central transport grants were scrapped though, so militant LAs may use kids as pawns in their political protests against the alleged cuts.

[tomb353]

Have done some more research. Government is providing enough funding to train around 275,000 kids each year. An average year group would be 785,000 kids, but the current year 6 is a high birth year so may be bigger than this. At best the government is funding around a 1/3 of kids.

I suspect that my local authority has failed to get enough trained instructors on the books this year, and hence hasn't asked for as much funding as it could do. They say they have many more instructors coming online next year (it appears that they have a strategy of training up lots of council staff, caretakers, sports coaches etc.) which may be part of a job preservation strategy, keep the cash in house and sack less local government employees. Perhaps not a bad idea, but the failure to deliver now combined with the big year group causes a problem.

The good news may be that from the DfT website it seems like there are multiple windows each year for training providers to apply for funding, so if I make myself a big enough pain in the ass I could in theory get them to apply for the money and come back to the school latter in the year and train up those kids who have missed out.

Another issue I've discovered is that funding is only available for year 5/6/7 kids. So if you've got a year 4 kid is confident on the road and too big to ride the pavement (as I do) then you can't ask them to include him, if you've an older secondary group who missed out then no cash for them either.

[DavidT]

I don't know anything about the politics of Bikeability. But can confirm that my son (then year 5) completed his Bikeability at School around April - June time this year. The whole of his Year 5 group did it - about 30 children? Leicestershire.

[tomb353]

Go Leistershire!

Out of interest, did every kid in the class have a bike?

[Ayesha]

Bikeability in school is inversally proportional to parents who take an interest in their children's cycling.

"I blame the parents".

[xpc316e]

I work for a county council, and can confirm that it is all to do with the amount of government grant that they apply for. We are increasing our bid, year on year, as we develop Bikeability in the area. We use private sector trainers to deliver the majority of our training, and I am sure that you appreciate that you cannot just magic the infrastructure out of nothing. Hopefully, we see the numbers increase every year until demand is satisfied.

[DavidT]

I don't know anything about the politics of Bikeability. But can confirm that my son (then year 5) completed his Bikeability at School around April - June time this year. The whole of his Year 5 group did it - about 30 children? Leicestershire.

Go Leistershire!

Out of interest, did every kid in the class have a bike?

Yes. apparently every pupil in the class of 28 undertook the course, with varying grades delivered at the end, - which my son is keen to point out given that he got an A Great that they all have bikes. Fortunately we live in a village and cycle use is reasonable. I was very pleased when it became clear the school was running the course, so that my son would get an "official" perspective and training further to my best efforts!

[jane769099]

I'm a Bikeability instructor in Bucks, and I help various schools make applications for funding. Bucks county council apply annually for money for the amount of places they think they can fill. This seems to increase, year on year, and they have always been successful with their bids so far. Each school then has to find instructors to run the training and apply to the council for the money (which pays £40 per child - many instructors charge more and the parents have to fund the remainder). Some schools don't bother at all, some schools will 'allow' parents to arrange training out of school hours, but most offer training to all the children who want to take part.

I know that other councils run training differently and have 'in-house' instructors, or they give contracts to large organisations to run all the training in the county.

If there aren't enough places at your school for all the children who want to take part, the first place to go for info is the school - who is organising training within school, and how do they decide how many places to offer? Why don't they offer training to all the children who want it?

[cyclinginstructor]

Hi, I run www.cyclinginstructor.com one of the large private sector companies which local authorities outsource Bikeability cycle training too. If you have any questions concerning funding please let me know. Paul


I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my wobbly bog brush using hovercraft full of eels

[Ted45]

Where are you from Tomb353?

[DavidT]

Further to my posts above about my 10 year old (now Year 6) doing his Bikeability earlier this year.

I was pleased tonight when he came home from school and presented me with his results from a cycling orientated "Highway Code Test", - branded by Leicestershire County Council and Bike4Life. Seems they've hit some refresher training already . I'm very impressed. (Pleased also to report he did well... )