Battle Hill Primary School in Wallsend used funding from the Opening Schools Facilities (OSF) fund to invest in cycling for its pupils – to boost the health of pupils and the wider community.
Teachers at the school identified that some of their pupils had never ridden a bike.
Our school is really central to the Battle Hill community – we pride ourselves on that. We had a number of children who were ten or 11 and never had ridden a bike. We saw this as a great opportunity.
Ruth Jobey, head teacher
Using £30,000 of OSF funding, head teacher Ruth Jobey and deputy head teacher Chris Bourke purchased bikes, shipping containers for storage, helmets and bike maintenance kits.
They then established a full cycling curriculum and enrichment activities, with support from Rise, North Tyneside Council and Bike4Health.
In addition, they identified groups of children who would benefit from Bike Maintenance workshops and small group rides with their peers. They will ride to a local youth club in Newcastle to participate in a range of activities that will boost self-esteem and make them proficient riders.
By the end of the 2023/24 academic year 180 pupils will have participated in the Bike4Health 3-week programme.
The impact on children:
- Children who were considered non-riders are now competent cyclists who can ride seven to ten miles.
- Children have learned vital skills to support their transition to the local high schools and enable them to access a wide range of activities in their local area, such as swimming at Hadrian Leisure or even training down at the famous Wallsend Boys Club.
Without you guys at Rise this would not have been possible. We are excited about the future cycling opportunities for our school community and really proud of how much we have achieved in a short space of time.
Chris Bourke, deputy head teacher
I loved it when we rode through the Rising Sun country park going over bumps and splashing through puddles. We also cycled to the top of a massive hill above a lake full of ducks. We could see for miles!
Jack, Year 6