School bans cycling

[HJ]

At a time when kids are getting fatter it is amazing to lean of a school, St Paul's School in Portsmouth, which bans its kids from cycling to school, even though they and their parents want them too. See here for the full story...

Next the school governors will be adding stupidity to the curriculum

 

[AllThatJazz!]

They are kidding? I teach. We've introduced cycling as part of PE. Rolling block of half term dedication for each "house" in each year gropu 7-9.

God! Are they insane at this school?

 

[eldudino]

There's an article in C+ this month that champions Portsmouth as a cycle-friendly city due to the city-wide 20mph speed limit citing the safety benefits for cyclists! This is somewhat akin to the fool of a headteacher in Lincolnshire a few years back who tried to push through a ban on running in the playground.

 

[thomas]

We had this + a daily mail article the other week

 

[Keith Oates]

At a time when kids are getting fatter it is amazing to lean of a school, St Paul's School in Portsmouth, which bans its kids from cycling to school, even though they and their parents want them too. See here for the full story...

Next the school governors will be adding stupidity to the curriculum

Perhaps it's the school that should be banned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[D4VOW]

It's just a case of they are wrong, they know they are wrong but are unwilling to admit it because the story has hit the media so are finding any excuse they can to win the argument. Sound's just like my boss

 

[nigelnorris]

I'm in a real quandary. I'm a schoolteacher, and my school has no provision for bike security at all, not for staff or pupils. So I just lock my bike to a big drainpipe in the staff car park where kids aren't allowed. I've never seen one of the kids on a bike until...

Today I arrived and there's another bike chained to my drainpipe (yes it's mine, no-one else cycles ). On my way out I see one of the kids unlocking it to go home. Apparently he's been given permission to lock his bike up round the back where it's safer.

Only I don't want any of the kids within 100 yards of my bike. I don't trust them (if you know Alum Rock and it's poulation you'll know why). I teach them every day, I wouldn't put time into them if I wasn't right minded about them, but I know what they're capable of when there are no adults about.

Don't know what to do, complain that pupils are being allowed in staff only areas of the school, or just accept it and run the risk of losing my bike, or worse still and far more likely coming out from work one evening and finding the wheels bashed in and the paint scratched.

Just got my new road bike last week, but tomorrow I'm back to commuting on my Halfords crappo till I can make up my mind.

 

[nigelnorris]

Push for proper cycle storage for the children. You can get funding for it as a school. Make sure it's away from yours and you're sorted.

Unlikely to happen unfortunately. Our school is on the 'Building Schools for the Future' list. This means that we are (or at least were) getting a multimillion pound revamp in the next two years. Would have been ideal, money would have been spent on cycling facilities, I already made that point to them. Only recession has hit and they're talking about reducing the amount spent and postponing it. But in the meantime pretty much all building improvement work has been suspended. Can't even get my classroom painted.

Even if we do get a couple of grand spent on something under cover and lit, it's at least two years away. I'll certainly go and put that point to them though in the meantime, you never know.

 

[marinyork]

Push for proper cycle storage, being mean spirited is really abusing your position of power.

 

[summerdays]

Push for proper cycle storage for the children. You can get funding for it as a school. Make sure it's away from yours and you're sorted.

Push for proper cycle storage for both of you but separate places. Point out that the children (don't know whether primary or secondary) shouldn't be in a staff car park (I know they aren't supposed to be at my kids school), and not only might they damage your bike but also some cars potentially too (other staff may be more worried about that, than your bike).

Just because 1 is cycling in - it may encourage more to cycle - do they want all of them in the staff car park. But that they should have a proper place for locking up their bikes. If its in a dodgy area then make sure the stands are overlooked and away from the road. Every now and again they nip over a 6ft fence to try and take a bike at school - usually 1 or 2 a year here. I'm trying to encourage them to grow a hedge there.

I know nobody is allowed in the cycle shed during the day as at the beginning one bike was tampered with for a joke, but that led to the rule which seems quite sensible in my opinion.

 

[summerdays]

Unlikely to happen unfortunately. Our school is on the 'Building Schools for the Future' list. This means that we are (or at least were) getting a multimillion pound revamp in the next two years. Would have been ideal, money would have been spent on cycling facilities, I already made that point to them. Only recession has hit and they're talking about reducing the amount spent and postponing it. But in the meantime pretty much all building improvement work has been suspended. Can't even get my classroom painted.

Even if we do get a couple of grand spent on something under cover and lit, it's at least two years away. I'll certainly go and put that point to them though in the meantime, you never know.

OK approach one of the charities that will provide a couple of stands for installation costs. You don't need to have covered stands - its nice but you could wait for that whereas in the mean time it would be nice to have somewhere to lock up your bike safely.

We have 20 stands at my kid's school but they are full on sunny days - so they are going to expand them - I've pointed out that they don't all need to be covered - on a rainy day we usually have less than 20 so they could go in the main covered bike shed and just have stands for the rest. That way we could afford more stands.

And don't they have to have cycle provision in any rebuild now?

 

[nigelnorris]

All sound advice, though I think marinyork might not quite get the subtleties of the situation.

And don't they have to have cycle provision in any rebuild now?

Probably, like I say I've filled in the forms and discussed it with our BSF manager so it's definitely on our list of things to do.

Good news also is that Birmingham City Coucil have signed up for a C2W scheme from September so there might well be more staff joining me.

 

[marinyork]

Why not start a new thread if you're wanting more info on facilities and c2w and how to get these?

 

[Randochap]

Perhaps it's the school that should be banned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

+1

Beat me to it. This is what happens when mental rot sets in. But mental rot is usually preceded by atrophy in the other muscles.

And these people purport to "educate" the next generation. It's a vicious circle that explains the marauding "feral youth" in another thread!

 

[threefingerjoe]

I'm in a real quandary. I'm a schoolteacher, and my school has no provision for bike security at all, not for staff or pupils. So I just lock my bike to a big drainpipe in the staff car park where kids aren't allowed. I've never seen one of the kids on a bike until...

Today I arrived and there's another bike chained to my drainpipe (yes it's mine, no-one else cycles ). On my way out I see one of the kids unlocking it to go home. Apparently he's been given permission to lock his bike up round the back where it's safer.

Only I don't want any of the kids within 100 yards of my bike. I don't trust them (if you know Alum Rock and it's poulation you'll know why). I teach them every day, I wouldn't put time into them if I wasn't right minded about them, but I know what they're capable of when there are no adults about.

Don't know what to do, complain that pupils are being allowed in staff only areas of the school, or just accept it and run the risk of losing my bike, or worse still and far more likely coming out from work one evening and finding the wheels bashed in and the paint scratched.

Just got my new road bike last week, but tomorrow I'm back to commuting on my Halfords crappo till I can make up my mind.

Nigel, don't pass up this great opportunity to praise that kid for riding, and befriend him. You two have something in common. Set a good example. Teach him about bike maintenance. He is currently fighting the same battle that all of us have experienced...no bike parking provisions. Show him your new bike. There's a chance that that young fellow will take such a liking to someone who shows an interest in him, that you'll each gain a new friend, and he may be the one to keep his buddies away from your bike, and be the one who ends up telling you whodunnit if something happens to it. See about getting the school to provide bike parking provisions.