Frequently Asked Questions

Introduction

This short Question and Answer sheet has been written to support the Cycle Training being run in your area and covers the following.

• What is the National Cycle Training Standard?
• How does it work?
• What will my child (ren) learn and do?
• Will they be safe?
• Who does the training?

What is National Standard for Cycle Training?

A range of cycling and road safety organisations have joined together with central Government to create a new National Standard for Cycle Training.  This is gradually being rolled out across England and Wales.  The overall aim of the scheme is to get more people cycling more often and more safely.  The training is designed both for adults and children.

Many of us will remember doing the Cycling Proficiency Test in years gone by.   The National Standards (now branded Bikeability) is the Cycling Proficiency Test for the 21st century and are designed to give the next generation the skills and confidence to ride their bikes on today’s roads.

How does it work? 

One of the principal differences from the Cycling Proficiency Test of old is that the training takes place largely on-road so that trainees, whether children or adults, learn how to interact safely with other road-users.  Through the development of their skills and understanding trainees will then be able to make journeys safely to school, to work or for leisure, on quiet roads.

The training takes place over 4 consecutive days.  On day 1 two trainers work with a group of up to 12 Year 6 children in the playground for 2 hours.  We do a bike check with them (so that they learn how to do it) to ensure their bike is roadworthy.  We then carry out a range of fun exercises to check and develop their bike control skills.  These skills are the Level 1 skills as laid out in the National Standards (see below).  Children must pass Level 1 in order to start the Level 2 training on the following day.

On days 2 and 3 two trainers work with groups of up to six children for an hour and a quarter, initially at a quiet road junction and road and then at one or two further ones of increasing busy-ness.  The Level 2 manoeuvres listed below are taught and demonstrated and then the children themselves practise these.

On day 4, and subject to the skills and confidence of the children we take them out for a ride where each child takes a turn at the front and practises the full range of skills and manoeuvres.

What will my child (ren) learn and do?

There are three levels of training, Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3.

Level 1 normally takes place off-road e.g. on a playground and is designed to develop the basic control skills and understanding fundamental to being able to ride on the road.  These skills include getting on and off the bike, starting, stopping, pedalling, riding in a straight line, looking behind and signalling without wobbling.

Level 2 normally takes place on-road, starting off with quiet junctions and roads but progressively moving to busier junctions and roads as the trainees skills, understanding and confidence develops.  The list of manoeuvres and skills that trainees learn to carry out is quite long and includes turning right and left from a minor road to a major road and vice versa, passing parked vehicles, passing side roads, understanding where to position themselves on the road and being able to explain decisions made whilst riding and thereby demonstrating an understanding of safe riding strategy.

Level 3 is for those who want to cycle further afield using busier roads and more complex road features such as (bigger) roundabouts, traffic lights and multi-lane roads.  This training is normally done on a one to one basis, i.e. one instructor to one trainee.

More details on the National Standard for Cycle Training and the three levels can be found at www.ctc.org.uk or www.bikeability.org.uk. 

Will they be safe?

The course is all about giving the children the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be able to ride safely on the road.  During the training process we ensure trainee’s safety through:

• Moving progressively to more demanding cycling situations, i.e. from classroom to road riding with the need to demonstrate satisfactory competence at each level before being allowed to move forward.
• Undertaking a bike check, and teaching the children how to do this, so that they will always cycle on a roadworthy bike.
• Careful selection of junctions and roads used for training.  Instructors position themselves so that they always have the trainees in view and more generally have good visibility of the area so that potential hazards can be spotted, in case the trainees themselves haven’t.
• Using a minimum of 2 instructors, accredited to the National Standard, to 6 children, for the road riding sessions.  When riding on the road one is positioned at the front and the other at the rear and slightly ‘outboard’ of the line of children and one at the rear.
• All children wear high visibility jackets/waistcoats, when training.   

A full risk assessment of the cycle training activity including the roads to be used for training is always carried out.  Trainers themselves have had a CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check.

Who does the training?

Cycle Experience works with local authorities, other public sector bodies and commercial organisations across the UK to get more people cycling, more safely, more often.  We do this through a range of cycling promotion events, programmes and by delivering National Standard Cycle Training.

Cycle Experience’s Instructors are all accredited to train to the National Standard and have all been CRB checked.