Responding to Demand: Enabling Access to Ride Leader Training for Schools and NHS Staff
Within our Active Travel Hub Schools, we are always looking for ways to support and improve our delivery, and get more pupils across the Forth Valley interested in sustainable and active travel. A key part of our delivery is led rides and cycle skills sessions, helping pupils build confidence and develop their ability on a bike. To ensure these sessions are high quality, our staff are trained and continue to develop through ongoing professional learning and qualifications.
Through discussions with staff across our schools, our Active Travel officers identified there was a clear need and demand for teachers and school staff to complete the Cycle Ride Leader training course as well – which is a nationally recognised qualification covering the key skills needed to safely lead a group of up to 8 cyclists.
Many teachers and support staff were keen to deliver more cycling sessions but did not yet have the skills or confidence to do so. As a result, we worked with Cycling Scotland to host a dedicated course for FEL staff, teachers interested in leading sessions and community NHS colleagues.
The uptake was fantastic, with the course fully booked with participants including outdoor education teachers, ASN support staff, an NHS mental health nurse previously involved in the FEL e-bike library, and Callum from our Active Travel Schools team.
Grangemouth High School kindly hosted the course in their conference suite and we are very grateful for their support. The day was led by a Cycling Scotland tutor and covered road safety, route planning and group leadership. It was highly practical, with all participants given the opportunity to lead sections of a ride from Grangemouth High School to The Kelpies. Despite heavy rain throughout the day, participants gained a huge amount from the experience.
Ross Grant, who works across the ASN department and leads outdoor education sessions at Larbert High School, said:
“I was invited along to the cycle leader course with FEL after a successful and growing partnership at Larbert high school. The course was well run and the instructor was very clear and knowledgeable. It was great to chat to others on the course to see what they are doing and how they plan to use their new qualifications. I’m looking forward to using the new qualification to offer more opportunities to the students at Larbert High School.”
Since completing the course, Ross has built on those connections and is now planning to bring together groups from Larbert and Falkirk High Schools for a led ride to the Kelpies.
This course has already made a real difference. Teachers and support staff who attended now have the skills, knowledge and certification to deliver cycling sessions within their own schools, even when FEL Active Travel officers are not available. Having more school staff qualified as leaders also creates opportunities to increase participation, as having an extra leader doubles the number of pupils able to take part in led rides.
Beyond the practical skills, the day also created valuable connections between staff in similar roles across Falkirk schools. These relationships will help support future collaboration and lead to more cycling-based activities between schools.
Thank you to everyone who took part, the Cycling Scotland tutor, and Grangemouth High School for hosting the day. As an organisation, we are committed to responding to the needs of individual schools, and this course is a great example of what can be achieved through collaboration. Through the close working relationships of school staff and our Active Travel officers, we have been able to organise and deliver this successful course that will lead to more cycling, more confidence, and more opportunities for young people to get involved in Active Travel across the Forth Valley.
