Millbank Primary School
Growing Together To Be Our Best
*Safe Cycling
The gusting wind and rain did not diminish the enthusiasm for the cycle training this morning (14th Sept 2010) after a quick bike check and a few adjustments of seat height they were all really excited about the session.
Paul Griffiths from Cardiff Road Safety Team(assisted by Dave Thomas) is teaching the children over the next few days about safe cycling, this session was in the safety of the school yard. The next four sessions will be on the roads outside the school so the children can experience real traffic conditions. You can see some more photos below when it was sunny and see the BikeIt Scheme below that.
This year we are trying to encourage more children to cycle to school Pupils, Staff and Governors have agreed and signed our eco code. Item 8 is about "Do[ing] what we can to fight climate change in our world. Encourage people to walk or cycle to school instead of being driven by car."
Importantly it is about the pupils taking a lead and working together. Last years' JRSO's worked with Green Gang and the School Council to gather data which they took forward to the assemblies this year to agree the Eco-Code.
Below Tim from 'Bike It' comes in to tell us all why it is so important to cycle to school and about all the fun you can have on bikes.
Like many schools in Cardiff Millbank are part in the 'Bike it' project (the club page is here) who work alongside the JRSO's, Bike Clubs, Green Gang, School Council and School Governors so there is lots of support and encouragement for cycling to school. 'Bike it' is part of the work of Sustrans which is a a registered charity funded by the Big lottery and donations, its work is to promote SUStainable TRANSport for all of us. One important element for Millbank is cycling to and from schools "In Denmark, 50% of all children cycle to school. In the UK it’s just 2%."
Cycling is not just great fun, it provides part of a healthy & socially responsible lifestyle. When our JRSO's did their surveys on transport to school last year they found that most pupils wanted to cycle to school but there were lots of worries about cycling from their parents. Part of the work of the BikeIt project is to give the children the skills needed to cycle to school with confidence and safety. To do that we need to involve parents to hopefully we can even encourage the rest of the family to rediscover the fun of cycling too. There are so great local cycle routes including the Ely and Taff trails.
Insurance
Cycle insurance is sometimes offered as part of a household contents insurance policy.Otherwise parents should arrange separate cycle insurance. A sturdy lock is advisable,and is a requirement of insurance cover for theft. Remember that schools are not liable for theft or damage, even when we provide secure cycle parking facilities.
