Bikeability

Gratedcamembert · 2025-10-27T21:17:43+00:00

Hi, Has anyone been in the situation where their y6 child can’t ride well enough to do bikeability? If so, what did school offer instead. I don’t mind keeping her off but don’t want to get fined. Most of the other children are very confident so it will be obvious that she can’t ride.

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

intrepidgiraffe · 27/10/2025 21:22

Haven’t been in this situation, they don’t do it until y4 at our school. But how long do you have? My son was confident on a balance bike and went to being confident on a pedal bike within a week or so.

Original poster

Gratedcamembert · 27/10/2025 21:29

They do it in June I think so 7 months ish! But we have tried several times and failed and basically she has given up now. Just wondered if others had been allowed to keep their child off in the circumstances.

OP posts:

Supergluerules · 27/10/2025 21:36

If you contact the Bikeability team (school will have their details or look on your council website for road safety team/active travel team) they can often offer 1-1 learn to ride sessions or playground sessions over Easter or half term. My DS was adamant he would never learn and then one day he just got it 😊

middleagedandinarage · 27/10/2025 21:40

Maybe not helpful but can I just say the actual bike has a huge impact on how easily/quickly they learn to ride. Invest in a good one, light weight and get it fitted properly. You have loads of time

User415373 · 27/10/2025 21:44

Hi, I used to be a y6 teacher in a large school and we always had a couple of children that didn't do it. They would usually go into another class (yr 5) for the day, which they normally loved. But if you think that would upset her then just keep her off maybe, you know her best. Talk to the teacher in the first instance, he or she can contact bikeability for you as well.

rollerblind · 27/10/2025 21:45

We do this at the school where I teach. Depending on the size of the class, they usually go out in groups for parts of the day. For example, group A went out every morning for four days, and group B went out every afternoon. Do you know the set up?

I would focus more on getting her confident before that time. There are two levels. Most children pass level 1 which is all done on the school playground, but if they aren’t confident/strong enough to go out on the roads, they just won’t progress on to level 2. It’s a life skill and the road safely aspect is really important.

CurlsLDN · 27/10/2025 21:45

Yes, my son’s primary did bikeability 3 times and he couldn’t ride a bike for any of them. I contacted the school reception and explained and it was no problem.

the first time they did it was aimed at beginners, and they took the pedals off half the bikes so the beginners could have a good practice of balancing.

the other times were more advanced, I spoke to reception and explained that he wouldn’t be capable of eg going out round the village on a bike to learn road safety, and they said no bother, he’s not the only one, so the bikeability team would run a seperate session for the beginners all together.

dont keep him off, thats overkill, its only an hour of his day and the school will be expecting a few who haven’t mastered it yet. Talk to them and work with them to find a compromise that meets him at his level, and gives him a great experience and chance to practice too.

my son is dyspraxia so never got the hang of it, but he still enjoyed the sessions

scissy · 27/10/2025 21:50

At my DD's school, there were too many for them all to go out at once, so anyone not doing it didn't feel too singled out.
Ours did it in Y5, and DD could not ride by the sign up date. Ironically she got it the weekend before but it was too late (sigh).
Luckily her secondary school offered L2 &3 in Y7, and we signed her up for that instead.
Speak to the teacher, but also if she really can't do it in time, she may well be able to do another course later.

DrMadelineMaxwell · 27/10/2025 21:54

When I arranged it for our y6s there were always some who couldn't ride, or who didn't have a bike anymore due to lack of interest. The instructors would only take a small group at a time, so children who were doing it would miss a day or a couple of half-days of lessons, but the class carried on as normal for those who weren't doing it, or who weren't in the day's group.

Original poster

Gratedcamembert · 27/10/2025 22:03

DrMadelineMaxwell · 27/10/2025 21:54

When I arranged it for our y6s there were always some who couldn't ride, or who didn't have a bike anymore due to lack of interest. The instructors would only take a small group at a time, so children who were doing it would miss a day or a couple of half-days of lessons, but the class carried on as normal for those who weren't doing it, or who weren't in the day's group.

Roughly how many per group? It’s a small school with I think about 12 ish in the year group so they may just all go out together?

OP posts:

Original poster

Gratedcamembert · 27/10/2025 22:05

CurlsLDN · 27/10/2025 21:45

Yes, my son’s primary did bikeability 3 times and he couldn’t ride a bike for any of them. I contacted the school reception and explained and it was no problem.

the first time they did it was aimed at beginners, and they took the pedals off half the bikes so the beginners could have a good practice of balancing.

the other times were more advanced, I spoke to reception and explained that he wouldn’t be capable of eg going out round the village on a bike to learn road safety, and they said no bother, he’s not the only one, so the bikeability team would run a seperate session for the beginners all together.

dont keep him off, thats overkill, its only an hour of his day and the school will be expecting a few who haven’t mastered it yet. Talk to them and work with them to find a compromise that meets him at his level, and gives him a great experience and chance to practice too.

my son is dyspraxia so never got the hang of it, but he still enjoyed the sessions

I guess the difference is that she will be the only one who isn’t capable so it probably will stand out more. I don’t think she’d like to be put in a different class.

OP posts:

Original poster

Gratedcamembert · 27/10/2025 22:08

scissy · 27/10/2025 21:50

At my DD's school, there were too many for them all to go out at once, so anyone not doing it didn't feel too singled out.
Ours did it in Y5, and DD could not ride by the sign up date. Ironically she got it the weekend before but it was too late (sigh).
Luckily her secondary school offered L2 &3 in Y7, and we signed her up for that instead.
Speak to the teacher, but also if she really can't do it in time, she may well be able to do another course later.

Edited

Thank you ☺️ hopefully we will get there eventually too.

OP posts:

DrCoconut · 27/10/2025 22:30

I don't think it's compulsory? I'm sure there were kids in my DS's class who didn't have a bike, couldn't ride one etc and just went somewhere else - another class or whatever. DS wanted to do it so we borrowed a bike and he went out in the tenfoot near the house and learned to ride it. He really struggled with balance but he got there in time to start bikeability. Not everyone is cut out for cycling - I failed my cycling proficiency miserably. But it's good for those who can and want to do it.

Original poster

Gratedcamembert · 27/10/2025 22:52

DrCoconut · 27/10/2025 22:30

I don't think it's compulsory? I'm sure there were kids in my DS's class who didn't have a bike, couldn't ride one etc and just went somewhere else - another class or whatever. DS wanted to do it so we borrowed a bike and he went out in the tenfoot near the house and learned to ride it. He really struggled with balance but he got there in time to start bikeability. Not everyone is cut out for cycling - I failed my cycling proficiency miserably. But it's good for those who can and want to do it.

It isn’t sold as voluntary here but it’s a small year group and the other kids are proficient so I think she will be the only one with an issue.

OP posts:

notacooldad · 27/10/2025 23:05

The course is generally held over two days, level one and level 2.
Level 1 is generally seeing how the kids are on bikes and letting them practice skills in a safe area and if they are good enough they will progress to level 2 which is going out on to roads usually housing estates near the school.

Usually the consent forms asks if the child can ride a bike. The answer is usually yes even when they clearly cant.

There will be two instructors. If all the group can ride they share out the tasks but if there is a child that cant ride they will try, depending on class dynamics and behaviour, to spend time on a 1:1 to help build confidence and try to get the child riding.

If the child makes significant progress they may get a chance to repeat the session with the next group( again depending on numbers and other factors) However a child is unlikely to go from being a non rider to going out on the streets to do level 2. So will skip that and stay with the non riding group in classroom.

The sessions are split so half the class will go out first and then the second half.
Your child will just stay in lesson.
There will be nothing odd about your child not riding.

DrMadelineMaxwell · 28/10/2025 07:04

Our instructors would take 8 max. That was 2 instructors they always sent.
We are 2 form entry and would have 40 wanting to do it so they would take a group of 8 for each of the 5 days.

Interested in this thread?