Over 160,000 pupils take part in Cycle to School Week 

Record numbers pledge to pedal 

Over 500 schools and 160,000 pupils committed to cycling to school as part of Cycle to School Week 2024 last week.  

This year, we had a record 163,003 pledges from 807 individuals and 542 schools. 

The aim of Cycle to School Week is to promote and celebrate cycling as a healthier and planet-friendly mode of transport. It encourages families to swap their car pedals for cycle pedals on the school run. 

Pledges ranged from committing to cycling to school every day during the week, to discovering somewhere new on a cycle, swapping one car journey for cycling, or going on a family cycle ride. 

Emily Cherry, Chief Executive of the Bikeability Trust, said:  

“Building a positive attitude toward cycling early on sets the stage for lifelong participation. Cycle to School Week is a perfect chance to get kids excited about cycling, boost their road safety confidence, and show them how cycling benefits their health and the planet.”  

Good for children’s health and the environment 

Earlier this year, research from Green Energy UK showed that 140 million unnecessary emissions are caused by driving to and from schools nationwide–enough annual CO2 to cover over 81,000 people in the UK’s annual emissions. 

With Labour’s current £22bn black hole, the UK government estimates that for every £1 spent on cycling and walking schemes in the UK, £5.62 worth of benefits are achieved on average. This makes schemes like Cycle to School Week crucial as Britain builds for a resilient future against the economic and public health threats of the cost-of-living crisis, climate change, and long-term impacts of obesity on the NHS. 

Visits from Secretary of State, MPs and more!  

During the week we were excited to welcome the Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh to see some Bikeability training in Preston. She was accompanied by Chris Boardman from Active Travel England (ATE). It was a great session, with Haigh saying on X “Learning to cycle confidently and safely is so important, and it was great to hear so much enthusiasm from a new generation of cyclists.”   

ATE put together a film following the visit, which you can watch here.  

"We want every child to be able to feel safe and confident in being able to cycle to school"@LouHaigh and @Chris_Boardman visited children in Preston to watch their @BikeabilityUK training session this #CycleToSchoolWeek 🚲 pic.twitter.com/MzIVvkxWz1

— Active Travel England (@activetraveleng) September 27, 2024

We also had visits from other Members of Parliament including Fleur Anderson, Wera Hobhouse, Jess Brown-Fuller, Pippa Heylings, Andrew Weston, Maya Ellis, Andrew Cooper, Mims Davies, Joe Powell, Vikki Slade, Zoe Franklin and Alistair Strathern. The Lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent Lyn Sharpe also joined us for some Bikeability training! 

Schools get engaged 

Cycle to School Week this year saw lots of schools getting involved and pledging to encourage their pupils to try cycling as a great way to get to school. 

Molly Dorsett, Assistant Principal, St. Mark’s Catholic Primary School in Great Barr, Birmingham, said: 

“There is a real buzz in the air as it’s our first year participating in Cycle to School Week, and our Laudato Si Leaders are on a mission to make our school more sustainable and are promoting ways we, as a school and a local community, can make changes for the better.”  

Nicola Sullivan, Class Teacher, Hawksmoor Primary School, Greenwich, London, said:  

“Last year, Cycle to School Week had a huge impact on the number of children bringing their bikes to school, and lots of those children continued to cycle even after the week was over. I am really hopeful that this year will be just as successful in helping our children to keep fit and have fun travelling to school every day.”  

Pauline David, Head Teacher, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School, Birmingham, said: 

“As a school, we are fully invested in sustainable education and participate in Cycle to School Week every year. The children love being able to do this, and occasionally, we get some parents joining in, too! We are always looking for as many ways as possible for our children to develop knowledge and understanding of the impact we are all having on our planet.”  

Looking to the future 

At The Bikeability Trust we’re already super excited for next year’s Cycle to School Week, and we’re hopeful that eventually every week will be Cycle to School Week! 

For more information on how you can join in next year, and to get regular news, stories and competitions from The Bikeability Trust, sign up to our regular email here.