About the Programme
Our school is staging a course in cycling safety training run by THE CYCLING SAFETY SCHOOL. The course is aligned to CYCLE RIGHT, the National Standard for Cycle Safety Training in Ireland, and is delivered by qualified trainers from the national register.
The training will prove invaluable to everyone. For those who already cycle to school, the benefits are obvious, but training is just as important for children who cycle only at home and during the holidays. In fact, everyone who will ever get on a bike needs to learn the safety skills required to assess situations on the road and to how to react to them.
Also, by teaching children to cycle safely, and by encouraging them to cycle in the course of their daily lives, we are putting in place the habit of exercise – at a time when lack of exercise in our youngsters is a growing cause for concern.
How is it delivered?
The course will consist of 8 hours of training with the pupils. It begins this week in the Senior school.
Topics covered will include: safe equipment; rules of the road; starting and stopping; road positioning; shoulder checking; turning left and right; overtaking and traffic manoeuvres, and, where appropriate to the group, on-road training.
The emphasis of the course is on safety through control of the bike and awareness of surroundings. It will be very beneficial to trainees to have the opportunity to practice between sessions as this will more quickly develop the core bike handling skills needed for cycling on the road.
At the end of the course, each child will receive a certificate of participation.
How much does it cost?
The programme is subsidised by the Department of Tourism, Transport and Sport, the Road safety Authority and Fingal Co Council. The cost per pupil is €8 for the programme.
This can be paid via the school’s on-line payment programme or in cash to your child’s teacher. A text has been sent to 5th class parents today in this regard.