Bike riding is an important personal and social life skill that has benefits to our health and wellbeing, physical literacy, sustainable transport choices, – and most importantly – it’s good fun!
One of the key barriers to providing bike education in a school setting is equitable access to bikes for all students. To address this barrier, we are working with schools and communities to create libraries of donated bikes that are owned by schools and can be used by all students. Further to this, we’ll provide AusBike training to teachers and parents, so that bike education can be embedded as part of the day-to-day activities at the school.
Thanks to the support of our friends at the Rapha Foundation, we can facilitate bike libraries and instructor education for 30 schools across Australia.
One day we’d love it if bike education was a compulsory inclusion in the school curriculum, and we feel that sustainable models such as Bikes for Schools can help to make that happen.
An enthusiastic and passionate teacher or staff member who will liaise with AusCycling’s Bikes for Schools Coordinator.
• A space to store the school bikes undercover.
• A number of teachers and/or parents to complete AusBike online training (approximately five hours).
• A community relationship or an in-school interest group of staff and students to help maintain the bikes in working order (pumping tyres, cleaning chains, checking brakes, etc.)
• A small budget for accessories including spare helmets, a bike pump, and spare tyres.
We can assist with sourcing any equipment mentioned above or provide a list to guide this.
Through the support of the Rapha Foundation, we can provide the following for partner schools:
• The framework to set up a community bike donation day or create a connection with a community organisation who will accept and repurpose donated bikes for your school.
• Options to upskill staff and parents in basic bike mechanics.
• Free access to online AusBike training and assessment of the practical video session.
• Lesson plans and resources for the AusBike education program.
• Ongoing support for your school to continue providing bike education for all students.
