This section is updated monthly.

Getting Schoolchildren, Parents and Teachers into the Biking Frame of Mind

Simon Wallis is the Liverpool and Wirral 'Bike It' officer for Sustrans, the transport charity. He is currently working with 'Bike It' colleagues, 'Travelwise' and the local authorities in his area to assist 44 schools in Wirral, Sefton, St. Helens, Knowsley and Liverpool City to take part in a 5,224 mile 'virtual' bike challenge competing against 100,000 children from 550 schools across the UK.

During the month-long 'race', which started on March 1st, pupils, parents and teachers from the 'Bike It' schools are clocking up a set amount of mileage points each time they cycle to school, based on the school roll. Results are being fed into a central race website database by the pupils, total mileage is calculated and their national position verified. This allows schools to directly monitor their progress against their competitors. The first school to achieve a total a mileage of 5,224 is declared the winner and receives a prize.

This annual event, overseen by the Sustrans School Travel Team, has seen participating schools double and treble their cycling levels, bucking the national trend. More than 12,000 children in Merseyside alone are participating in the 'race' which aims to inspire and encourage pupils, parents and teachers to cycle on a regular basis. In just the first two days of this month over 11,000 cycle journeys were recorded nationally for pupils, teachers and parents.

Simon, who is one of 57 'Bike It' officers across England and Wales, has compiled a list of ideas to 'Get Secondary School Cycling'. He has drawn together the extensive suggestions below not only from his own thoughts but from all his 'Bike It' colleagues around the country.

Getting Secondary Schools Cycling Ideas - Sustrans Bike It

• Clear communication and publicity are key to making cycling take off in secondary schools.
• Assemblies don't have to be the whole assembly - but a quick 1 minute reminder at the end to say that an activity is on tomorrow or next week etc.
• Encourage Go Ride courses on the premises at lunch times everyday or once a week, using personal bikes, hire bikes or pool bikes for this.
• Assemblies for Yrs7, 8 and 9 notifying of all the bike challenges of the week and opportunities locally with local clubs and facilities.
• Offer 'Way 2 Go' sessions - one on one cycling advice to Year 7's (15mins per session) include your STA's.
• Apres school - 'Bike Maintenance' sessions linking into Design Tech (offer drinks & refreshments).
• Community Support Officers will offer security marking with pupil's house number and postcode e.g. (47) CH53 7BF either with florescent pen, smart water or positive ID on frames or inside seat posts.
• Dr Bike, Dr Bike, Dr Bike. Students don't have to come out of their lessons and it doesn't disrupt the school day. Excellent activity for secondary schools.
• PSHE links into cycling - about pupils' health and needs. Citizenship is also a good doorway too. Debates for and against can be good. For decision making. Debate on 'what to spend money on' or maybe debate 'infrastructure versus promotion' or 'roads versus cycle tracks'.
• Link cycling with an Environment Forum for your Healthy School or Sustainable School groups.
• PE (in particular Yr 7 and 8). Offer those who cycle in on a particular day the chance to take part in a skills session either with a coach you bring in. Emphasis should be fun and skills such as track stands, bunny hops and the like. This would not require permission slips as it is on school grounds and within curriculum time.
• Don't forget to engage your School Sports Coordinator with their Bike It feeder schools as an engaging transition linking project and for Junior Sports Leaders Award links. Organise a Transition Cycle Ride at the beginning of the summer term between feeder schools and their high school. Extended Schools may be able to support you.
• Don't forget to engage your Duke of Edinburgh Award Coordinator and your DT coordinator to build and recycle bikes.
• Don't forget to engage your Enterprise Agenda Coordinator to create a 'Brilliant Bike It' video for the school plasma screen.
• Don't forget to contact your local City Learning Centre to set up a video conference Bike It dialogue with some school in Copenhagen or wherever.
• There are lots of bike link opportunities in curriculum areas i.e. Maths, English, you name it really.
• Bike User Group. Head of year 7 - could run a Cycle Forum - letting pupils cycling voice to be heard. Plan in a date when you are going to meet the group and plan in an assembly prior to it, sending information out to all year 7's asking for their opinions on the attached tear off slip.
• Make an 'Eccentric professor from Copenhagen' video clip as though it's a cycling news item from Denmark for a cycling themed assembly.
• Have awe inspiring bike films on view at break times projected on your plasma screen. Probably wise to use a compilation of clips that are okay for use.
• Personal Development Time could easily develop Bike It links.
• Blender vender. Make a bicycle powered 'smoothy-maker' in DT.
• Make Bamboo bikes, wrapped in cardboard then in tissue paper - amazing sculptures for foyers
• Create bike promoting murals, sculptures and art work. Art GCSE stuff.
• 'Beauty and the Bike' - Hold cycle fashion session. Design cycle clothing and maybe novelty bikes themselves.
• Invite 3x Junior World Champion Ben Slinger jumping around on his mountain trial bike. He regularly performs shows for my Bike It Schools (#350/day). Or find someone equally brilliant.
• Watch 'Inspired Bicycles - Danny MacAskill April 2009' on You Tube. You may not like what you see, but this is the sort of stuff secondary pupils are watching. Better to provide facilities on risk assessed school sites than on the street. This is already happening in Bike It school in the UK. (Designers and risk assessments available on request)
• Engage 'disaffected and at risk of exclusion' pupils. There's usually an Alternative Curriculum package running to engage those at risk. This can include skills sessions, route planning, maintenance, bike recycling and building. There are qualifications available and often organisations that will do the training.
• Start up after school Bike Clubs; they need support and often equipment. Cycling Solutions, no doubt can provide the necessary training to staff. Staff can get their training through British Cycling Go Ride Teachers Award Scheme (1 day course). This gives insurance cover if on the school grounds. Non Teacher Level 2 Coaching Certificate (3 day course) is much harder but better. Register the after school club to become a Go Ride Club and form links with local Community Clubs that are also Go Ride Approved (i.e. have a youth section).
• Build a BMX or mountain bike dirt track and a Road racing style track within the school grounds. Local developers will often gift top soil to schools and then lend a mini digger to sculpt the track which needs to be left to settle before use. This is already happening in Bike It schools in the UK. (Designers and risk assessments available on request)
• Biker Breakfasts work as can link with existing canteens, give out a voucher at bike shed or offer early lunch vouchers to cyclists to avoid their lunch time queuing.
• Bike rides with Cycling Solutions guides after school or at weekends, can work well if also linked in with feeder primaries.
• Create activity days or weeks where a range of cycling activities can be included.
• Roller racing or Rollapoluza engages well i.e. 2 cyclists on bike trainers racing each other. How far can you cycle in one minute?
• Cycle try out sessions. Get a range of weird and wacky bikes brought into school for students to have a go on, over lunchtime.
• Cycling Solution training is most likely to get taken up if offered during curriculum time i.e. Level 2 and 3 National Standards
• Offer advice sessions to staff, provide some cycle training etc
• Access 'Cycle 2 Work' scheme bikes for Wirral Council employed staff.
• Include bike races as part of sports day.
• Parents evenings - good for consultation and spreading the cycling word.
• A year's bus fare could maybe buy a decent bike.
• A broad range of cycling skills as Adult Education classes
• Create Cycling Community Days. Draw on local groups who have an interest in cycling.
• One intensive cycle promotion week often works best e.g. A bike It week of activity...
• Monday entire school or individual year group (house points or tutor group points) counts can go to head of year. Prize at end of week. Voucher to go mountain biking prize.
• Tuesday - Non-school uniform/tog day for cyclists
• Wednesday - Pupil eco warriors write to MPs to get more cycling debate in parliament
• Thursday - Dr Bike (bikes left unlocked) - Hand out fliers the day before to advertise
• Friday - Cycle Gear Sales - Hand out fliers the day before to advertise what's on offer (cheques payable to school office) Maybe celebrate with a Bikers Breakfast at the end of the week. 'Free Wheel to a Free Meal'

Footnote 'Bike It' receives funding from Cycling England (www.cyclingengland.co.uk) with the support of the Department of Transport, Bike Hub - the cycle industry levy, the Big Lottery Fund's Well-Being Programme, the National Assembly for Wales and Transport for London. It is supported by partner local authorities and managed by Sustrans who are responsible for the national cycle network (www.sustrans.org.uk/bikeit).