Go-Ride for Schools

There are two main ways your school can get involved with the Go-Ride programme - by becoming a Go-Ride school club or through the Go-Ride PE and Sport Strategy for Young People (PESSYP) programme.  Both entry points to the Go-Ride programme involve linking with a local Go-Ride Club to help improve and develop the provision of cycling for your pupils.

Linking with a Go-Ride club can benefit your school by:

• Providing appropriate opportunities for further development and participation for young people
• Contributing towards your school's adherence to the governments 5 Hour Offer
• Bringing cycling to a wider range of young people
• Meeting aspects of the 'Every Child Matters' agenda
• Helping to develop competition officials for major school events through British Cycling's Cycling Award for Young Volunteers (CAYV)
• Optimising the provision of coaching expertise and leadership in cycling at school level

For more information please see the Go-Ride for Schools Leaflet

Go-Ride School Clubs

Go-Ride school clubs are all about getting more young people into cycling. These clubs provide high quality coaching activities, delivered in a traffic-free environment. Each school club must have a British Cycling qualified Coach to run the coaching sessions. This can either be an external British Cycling qualified coach (e.g. from a local community club), or a qualified teacher who has attended one of British Cycling's coaching courses. The sessions can be run as either an after-school club, or during curriculum PE.

Teachers completing the Coaching Cycling for Schools (previously known as the ACAT) will be provided with Go-Ride Gears Coaching Workbooks, which outline various activities and skills tests relevant to the age and ability of the group in question. The workbook series consists of 7 distinct levels or gears. Each Go-Ride Gears activity can be adjusted to make it easier or harder, depending on the age and ability of the participants. As such, your school will be able to choose from over one hundred different coaching activities, ensuring that sessions never get boring or repetitive. For further information on the course please click here.

PE and Sport Strategy for Young People (PESSYP) Programme

The PESSYP programme involves a British Cycling Go-Ride Coach, supported by coaches from a local Go-Ride club, visiting your school and delivering structured coaching sessions. This is the first step in creating a long-term, sustainable link between your school and a local Go-Ride club. The programme is designed to offer your school an introduction to cycling with the long-term goal of helping your school develop a strong link with a local Go-Ride club.

The programme delivers high quality coaching activities in schools, giving young people a taste of what Go-Ride clubs have to offer and introducing pupils to local, effective, child-friendly clubs where they can pursue their interests further. Each school will be visited 6 - 10 times by a Go-Ride Coach with each day comprising of a half-day of coaching for two different classes.

British Cycling provides all of the necessary resources and equipment to ensure that each session runs safely and smoothly. The school incurs no cost, since Sport England and Sky have provided the necessary funds to secure the ongoing delivery of the programme.

The number of schools able to receive coaching from the Go-Ride Coaches is limited and British Cycling therefore focuses on schools with Go-Ride clubs in their local area, this is to ensure the provision of sustainable exit routes for young people. However if your school is not close to a community Go-Ride club then your Regional Development Manager will be happy to assist you in setting up as a Go-Ride school club.

Go-Ride and Bikeability

British Cycling's Cycle Training team is currently running Cycle Training Instructor courses that qualify attendees to deliver Bikeability to young people, passing on the necessary skills needed to cycle safely on the road.

Bikeability (previusly known as Cycling Proficiency) is split into 3 levels:-

Level 1 - Basic skills delivered in a traffic free environment (i.e. Go Ride Gears 1 - 4)

Level 2 - Basic road skills on quiet roads

Level 3 - Advanced road skills on busier roads

Click here for more information.

What is the next step?

If you are interested in becoming a Go-Ride school club, or interested in getting involved in the PESSYP programme, please contact your Regional Development Manager for more information.