Bikeability learn to ride is for those children who are unable to ride independently.

During this 1 hour course your child will receive an introduction to riding a bike with pedals which will include:

• getting on and off the cycle holding their brakes
• how to set their pedal correctly with their preferred starting foot
• how to start by pushing down on their pedal hard enough to gain momentum, place their other foot on the other pedal and keep pedalling
• travelling in a straight line
• stopping by using both brakes then putting a foot down
• maintaining balance by turning their handlebar in the direction of intended movement
• changing direction turning left and right in gentle arcs with tighter turns as they gain control

As this is just an introduction, you will need to continue practicing with your child after the course. Your instructor will be able to let you know what your child needs to practice and when they will be ready for our level 1 course.

Booking

We offer our free Bikeability courses to all of our primary and secondary schools, to year 4 and above. Our aim is for every child in primary school to have achieved their Bikeability level 2 (residential road cycle training) before they leave for secondary school.

If your child is in year 6 and has not yet had Bikeability offered to them in their school, email bikeability@bcpcouncil.gov.uk so we can contact the school to book their course in. The school will also be offered the relevant Bikeability learn to ride, level 1 and level 3 training as appropriate for their school and students.

We may offer some very limited holiday courses later in the year but we are not running any until all our schools have made their bookings for the current academic year. It is far more beneficial for your child to complete their Bikeability course within their school day, when they’re in a learning mindset, in their local residential area, so the roads they’re learning their cycle skills on are relevant to their home to school journey.

Instructors

Our instructors are all fully qualified to the national standard, DBS checked and trained in first aid. They also receive regular safeguarding training.

Contact us

If you have a question about our courses, call the Bikeability team on 01202 127 867 or 01202 123 982 or email bikeability@bcpcouncil.gov.uk.

There may be a delay in the response as we are a very small busy team and we are often out at events or meetings.

Sometimes emails may go into the junk or spam folder, so check these if you’re expecting an email from us.