Cycle safety courses for schoolchildren

1 What is Bikeability?

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Following the latest government advice, Bikeability training is now being offered to schools and individuals.

Bikeability offers young people the chance to develop their skills and confidence to cycle safely on today's roads. 

There are three Bikeability levels. These take trainees from the basics of balance and control, all the way to planning and making an independent journey on busier roads. Courses are not designed to teach trainees how to ride, but to increase their basic skills, observation, hazard awareness and perception of risk.

West Sussex County Council is a nationally-accredited Bikeability provider.

Find out more

• Bikeability
• National Standard for cycle training and Bikeability

Be aware that no child will be allowed to take part in a course unless they are wearing a properly fitted and approved cycle helmet.

2 Level 2 term-time course

Bikeability Level 2 is offered to all schools across the county with pupils in Year 6.

Course content

On this course, trainees share the road with traffic. Day one of the course begins off-road where the instructor assesses the trainee's current level of cycling skills at Level 1.

Training then progresses at Level 2 onto the road, within a risk-assessed training area. Depending on what's available around the school, the training area will include very quiet roads and those that carry more frequent traffic. In this way, the instructor can use their judgement to progress a trainee according to their ability.

Trainees learn:

• how to start and finish a journey
• how to be aware of potential hazards
• how and when to signal their intentions to other road users
• where to ride on the roads
• how to pass parked or slower-moving vehicles
• how to safely pass side roads
• how to turn in to and out of road junctions
• about the decisions they would need to make while cycling
• about the basics of the Highway Code.

They also have the option to learn about filtering, mini-roundabouts and crossroads.

As well as a badge of participation, all trainees receive a certificate showing what they have achieved for each task. This enables their parent or carer to see where they need most help to continue improving their cycling.

Applying

Step 1: All schools are invited to book at any time of the year by contacting the Cycle Training Team. However, we cannot guarantee a slot during our busiest times.

Step 2: Parents/guardians should provide written consent for the trainee and return the form to your child's school. A consent form will be sent out before the course, or you can download one below.

3 Level 2 holiday courses

Holiday courses are available for trainees aged 10 or over during the Easter and summer school holidays. 

There are currently no holiday courses available to book. Dates and venues will be posted here when they become available.

Applying

Please check with your child’s school to see if training has already been arranged. If your child will be undertaking training at school, please do not apply for a holiday course place.

Book a place by completing the online application form:

4 Level 3 course

Bikeability Level 3 is part of the National Standard for cycle training. We offer it for pupils in Year 6 and above, either one-to-one or in a group of two. This means it can be tailored to a trainee’s individual needs, such as a route to work or school.

Watch the Department for Transport video about Level 3.

Course content

Trainees learn how to safely share the road with traffic on busier roads. Some essential skills common to all Level 3 courses are:

• preparing for a journey
• understanding advanced road positioning
• passing queuing traffic
• perceiving and dealing with hazards
• understanding driver blind spots, particularly for large vehicles
• reacting to hazardous road surfaces.

There are also a number of other skills trainees might be taught, depending on the roads where the training is taking place. These include:

• using junctions controlled by traffic lights
• cycling on and off the road, including bus lanes
• sharing the road with other cyclists, including cycling in pairs or groups
• using roundabouts, multi-lane roads
• cycling on roads with a speed limit above 30mph
• dealing with vehicles that pull in and stop in front of you
• locking a bike securely.

Trainees receive a certificate once they have completed the course. This shows what they have learnt, along with detailed recommendations from the instructor, where appropriate.

Applying

Level 3 training is available all year round. Training is limited and places are booked on a first come, first served basis. 

Step 1: Book a place by completing the online application form:

Your application will be passed on to one of our instructors who will then contact you directly to arrange training.

Step 2: Provide written parental/guardian consent for the trainee and return it to the address provided on the form. A consent form will be sent out before the course, or you can download one below.

5 Further information

Supporting document

• Cycle Right magazine (PDF, 2.5MB)