Published on Friday 19 July 2024
Students at a Bournemouth school are the first in the country to experience an exciting new virtual cycling training session.
Year seven students at The Bourne Academy trialled a program created by Dr Dan Bishop, Researcher and Senior Lecturer at Brunel University, in collaboration with The Bikeability Trust.
The ‘Group-Based VR Immersive Cycle Training Project’ uses tablets to embed the skills needed for learning to cycle on the road. The training is designed to help children become more confident and competent cyclists.
Each student at the session was given a tablet to experience a 360-degree view of different road-based cycling scenarios, with BCP Council Bikeability instructors leading the session and providing information about the four core cycling skills on the road – observation, communication, position and priorities.
Dr Dan Bishop, Director of Research at The Bikeability Trust and the creator of the immersive cycle training programme, said, “This exciting project is the culmination of years of trialling and refinement, with significant input from the Trust’s development team, Bikeability instructors, children and their parents. This unique blend of academic and real-world riding expertise has led to the development of a rigorous and practical training protocol that has the potential to change lives.”
“Instructors can use the instructor manual, which summarises the 24 ‘group rides’, together with their knowledge of those rides, to tailor their training in a way that maximises young riders’ confidence and competence for riding independently on roads. Our intention is that this will lead to more children and young people cycling to school and signing up for advanced Bikeability training.”
Eleanor, a student at The Bourne Academy, said: “It made me feel like I was actually riding a bike down certain roads. I learnt a lot about which way to look, as well as things like major and minor roads.”
As part of this training, students were required to complete short anonymous surveys before and after the session to find out their attitudes and confidence regarding cycling on roads, as well as their understanding of the four core road cycling skills.
Jasmine Bailey, Teacher of Physical Education and Mathematics at The Bourne Academy, said: “With these sessions running alongside the physical 2.5 hour level 2 Bikeability courses, we’re giving children invaluable skills to not only prepare them for cycling on the roads but also giving them more confidence and enthusiasm.”
Graham Hurst, BCP Council Bikeability Instructor, said: “Going forward, we want to deliver the immersive training to as many schools as possible to help embed the skills needed by students to make them more confident, experienced cyclists. This will help the school encourage more children to travel more safely and actively to school.”
Students at The Bourne Academy form part of the 1,000 students the BCP Council Bikeability team is aiming to train before the end of March 2025. This is in support of the council’s aim to get 50% of journeys walked, wheeled or taken by public transport within the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area by 2030.
Other BCP Council schools interested in signing up for Bikeability immersive cycle training sessions should email bikeability@bcpcouncil.gov.uk.