Bike Education at St. Benedict's School

Kate Sampson
St Benedict's School
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St. Benedict’s School is more bike aware and street smart now that their Year Four and Five students have completed a Bike Education program.
The four week program run by ‘Let’s Ride’, provided a fabulous grounding for students giving them practical experience and knowledge to not only be competent riders but also street wise when it comes to riding on roads and in traffic.
As cycling is an important life-skill that is great for health, fitness and the environment, it is important that the learning continues and is supported at home. That is why parents were invited to a pre-course information morning and were sent regular emails regarding course content and things to try at home.
As a school, we really did encourage children to bring their own bikes to ensure skills and knowledge transferred to everyday situations. A bike mechanic from ‘The Bicycle Entrepreneur’ was provided to ensure all children had safe bikes to ride. One of the great things about this program was that fleet bikes and helmets were provided for those children who were unable to bring in their own equipment. This allowed all children to be equally involved in the program.
Children participated in challenging skills courses to practice things such as emergency breaking, bike balance, power pedal position for quick starts, scanning the area, signalling to other road users, reading traffic signs and understanding road rules. We finished off the program with a fun-filled triathlon and license test to end on a high. We are confident that children came away with valuable life skills that could be used in a variety of settings through-out their whole lives and not just in the classroom. It’s great that children are learning a healthy, safe way to travel that contributes to environmental sustainability.

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Georgia

Thanks Kate, this is a really great summary of organising bike education for other schools to follow. Definitely setting students up with key life skills :)

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