November update

Minister visit 

As part of Cycle to School Week, we were delighted to welcome Lilian Greenwood MP, Minister for Local Transport, and Olly Glover MP to Wantage CE Primary School in Oxfordshire, where they joined pupils taking part in Bikeability Level 2 training. It was fantastic to see both MPs experience Bikeability in action and hear directly from children about the confidence they gain on two wheels! 

The visit helped demonstrate the importance of cycle training in building healthier, more active communities. Lilian also praised the programme’s role in supporting children’s wellbeing, cutting congestion, and contributing to the Government’s wider Plan for Change. Read more here! 

Curriculum and Assessment Review – overview and next steps for Bikeability: 

What the Review says
The Department for Education’s Curriculum and Assessment Review looks at how the national curriculum could evolve over the coming years. It isn’t a confirmed reform yet, but it sets the direction of travel for what could follow. 

Key Things to Note: 

• Physical Education (PE): The Review calls for PE to be redrafted, making it more consistent, inclusive and focused on core physical skills. It also notes that outdoor and adventurous activities are often under-taught. 

• External providers: Around 40% of primary schools rely on external PE coaches, but the quality of this provision varies significantly. 

• Life skills: Skills such as swimming, budgeting and online safety are highlighted as areas that should have a stronger place in the curriculum. 

• Sustainability: Teaching young people how to live more sustainably will become a key priority across subjects, particularly in Citizenship and Geography. 

What it means for Bikeability 

• Delivering what quality looks like: Bikeability is accredited, quality assured and evidence-led. Instructors provide the structured, high-quality learning that the Review says is missing from parts of PE. 

• Filling the skills gap: Many schools lack specialist PE teachers, and the Review recognises the need for high-quality external providers. Bikeability offers a proven, national model of best practice that can strengthen the teaching of outdoor activity. 

• Teaching an essential life skill: If swimming is recognised as vital, so should safe and active travel. Every child travels every day, and Bikeability gives them the confidence and awareness to make those journeys safely and independently. 

• Linking to sustainability: Cycling and active travel are practical ways for young people to live the values that the Review wants schools to embed around climate and responsibility. 

Bikeability Conference & Instructor Webinar 2025 

The best Bikeability Conference yet! It was brilliant to bring everyone together to the ICC in Birmingham for a day focused on quality, sharing ideas, learning, and celebrating everything that makes Bikeability the best it can be. 

The workshops on quality assurance, risk management, instructor recruitment and retention gave us all plenty to think about, and it was inspiring to hear from our active travel commissioners and delivery experts across the country. Thank you to everyone who contributed, shared their insights, and took part with such enthusiasm, the feedback has been fantastic. It’s all part of our four-year quality plan, building on shared standards, supporting instructors through mentoring and CPD, and creating a culture of continuous improvement right across the industry. 

A HUGE thank you also to our partners and exhibitors, who showcased their work to support the delivery of Bikeability. Your collaboration and passion are at the heart of what we do. 

We’re already thinking ahead to how we can build on these ideas and are very excited for the future. 

We also held a webinar for instructors the next night giving the same conference speech about the future, along with data from the instructor survey showing what instructors told us and what we plan to focus on. An incredible 93% of instructors said they enjoy their role, and 77% feel valued, showing just how much pride and passion there is across the industry. Instructors also told us they’d like more direct communication with the Trust, clearer guidance on Level 2 targets, and further support to deliver inclusive training. Around 37% would also like to deliver more training. We are building these findings into our new four-year quality plan to ensure every instructor feels supported and valued.