This was covered, from another angle, back in February. I agree with Skydancer but what I wrote then is still largely my view:
Sometimes it seems we are like ghosts, we slip in and out of school unseen. Even the teachers out of whose classes we take children don't know what we do with them, what the children are learning or why it is of any value. There are teachers who try to punish children who have been naughty by keeping them out of CT lessons, as if it is an extension of play time.
Which is not surprising in schools where there are one or two bikes in the rack and all you hear in the staff room is how dangerous cycling is and how they would never cycle on the road. Though they did do cycling proficiency as school - does that still exist?
As mentioned above, there are schools with no 'cycling culture' (calling every bloody thing on earth a 'culture' etc). Four or five week courses are not going to change that. Having teachers cycle in to school, having bike clubs, involving parents, making cycle training an all year round activity will change that. I cannot see the current model making any further progress.
I also think we should not be so nervous about cycle sport - children who ride a bike as a sport are much more likely to ride a bike as transport too. We should be linking these activities together.
On a bad day I think that the off road part of a schools course is actually the bit that has done the most good - some children can now control their bikes better, can signal, look behind, understand how to make sure their bike is safe and have gained confidence and enjoyment from riding. What they are not going to do is ride on road, especially if they are the only person in their house with a bike. And always if they do not own a bike.
Again, that can only change in a school if the school wants it to, if there are teachers and parents who cycle in and if cycling activity is not limited to four or five week courses.
As regards schools should the question be how do we get more people to do cycle training? or should it be Would we be better off concentrating resources where they can make genuine, profound changes rather than spreading it more widely but actually changing nothing?
This was covered, from another angle, back in February. I agree with Skydancer but what I wrote then is still largely my view:
Sometimes it seems we are like ghosts, we slip in and out of school unseen. Even the teachers out of whose classes we take children don't know what we do with them, what the children are learning or why it is of any value. There are teachers who try to punish children who have been naughty by keeping them out of CT lessons, as if it is an extension of play time.
Which is not surprising in schools where there are one or two bikes in the rack and all you hear in the staff room is how dangerous cycling is and how they would never cycle on the road. Though they did do cycling proficiency as school - does that still exist?
As mentioned above, there are schools with no 'cycling culture' (calling every bloody thing on earth a 'culture' etc). Four or five week courses are not going to change that. Having teachers cycle in to school, having bike clubs, involving parents, making cycle training an all year round activity will change that. I cannot see the current model making any further progress.
I also think we should not be so nervous about cycle sport - children who ride a bike as a sport are much more likely to ride a bike as transport too. We should be linking these activities together.
On a bad day I think that the off road part of a schools course is actually the bit that has done the most good - some children can now control their bikes better, can signal, look behind, understand how to make sure their bike is safe and have gained confidence and enjoyment from riding. What they are not going to do is ride on road, especially if they are the only person in their house with a bike. And always if they do not own a bike.
Again, that can only change in a school if the school wants it to, if there are teachers and parents who cycle in and if cycling activity is not limited to four or five week courses.
As regards schools should the question be how do we get more people to do cycle training? or should it be Would we be better off concentrating resources where they can make genuine, profound changes rather than spreading it more widely but actually changing nothing?