Castle School in Cambridge has been announced as a winner in the Celebration of Bikeability Awards!
Following a nomination from Outspoken, Castle has won the School of the Year award for their incorporation of cycling and cycle training into the wider learning curriculum. The school supports children with physical needs and aims to provide a rounded education that meets the requirements of all pupils. As well as receiving Bikeability training on an annual basis, Castle has devised a program that allows understanding of cycling to feed into the pupils’ general education, such as developing map-reading skills by planning cycling routes and using cycling commands to better grasp instructional language.
The school’s program also focused on making cycle training an accessible addition to the classroom curriculum. To succeed, the program identified three strands of learners’ needs:
- Physically disabled pupils requiring adapted cycles such as a bike that attaches to their wheelchair and is pedalled by an adult;
- Pupils who can’t cycle fully independently and would instead benefit from the use of balance bikes, trikes or go-karts;
- Pupils who can cycle independently.
The school received £11,219 to launch the project. With additional funding from their Sport Premium Fund and support from Outspoken Training, they invested in:
- Storage facilities to ensure all equipment is kept secure and prevent damage;
- Training members of staff as Cycle Instructors to deliver additional Bikeability Levels;
- Providing Balance bike and bike maintenance training for teachers and support staff;
- Purchasing adaptive cycles.
Since the project launched, 90% of the pupils in the school have had the opportunity to undertake regular cycle lessons. As a result, staff at Castle School have noticed the pupils enjoying cycling, which in turn is enhancing learning across other subjects.
“Our work is enabling students with varied and complex needs to participate in a physical and sensory experience. They participate in activities alongside peers and integrate more with friends. They are learning travel skills and how to take risks safely, and this in turn is improving their emotional and physical well-being.”
Anne Haberfield, Acting Headteacher
The school has since raised £42,000 to expand the project. In the future, the hope is that those who can will cycle to college, interviews and work opening up independence and employment opportunities.
Congratulations to Castle School for their well deserved win in the Celebration of Bikeability Awards. Outspoken is proud to be a Bikeability training provider to an institution with such a focus on developing the cycle skills of their pupils.
The Celebration of Bikeability awards honour the individuals and organisations striving to make cycling an enjoyable and accessible option for everyone. You can find more information on The Bikeability Trust’s website.