Bikeability is a national cycle training scheme. It’s like cycling proficiency, but better. It’s about gaining practical skills and understanding how to cycle on today’s roads.

Our playground-based skills course is designed to teach your child the skills they will need when riding on the road, but in a playground setting. It’s particularly ideal for younger children to learn bike control.

During the course your child will learn to:

• maintain their cycle: make sure their ride is in tip-top condition and make simple repairs
• glide: smooth, calm and collected
• control their bike: including setting off, cruising, slowing down, braking and stopping, they’ll even learn to cycle one handed
• pedal: without feeling wobbly or out of control
• be aware of their surroundings: looking behind and turning around obstacles

After this course your instructor will be able to advise what your child needs to practice to prepare for the Bikeability Level 2 Residential Road Cycling course which they will be able to undertake in their school in Year 5 and above.

Booking

We offer our free Bikeability courses to all of our BCP Council 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, please email us at 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 currently we’re 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 and it also removes the risk of non-attendees on courses, which costs us a lot of our Bikeability funding every year.

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 query regarding our courses, please call the Bikeability Team on 01202 127 867/ 01202 123 982 or email bikeability@bcpcouncil.gov.uk. If there are no current holiday courses available or there are no spaces on your chosen course, please email us and we will place you on our waiting list and you will be notified when new courses are available.

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 get caught in the junk or spam folder, so please check these if you’re expecting an email from us.

Funding

The Bikeability Scheme is funded by Active Travel England via The Bikeability Trust.