Bicycle Safety @ SJF

Bicycle Safety

It is wonderful that so many of our pupils are making full use of our new bicycle/scooter store.

We have noticed that a number of children are not wearing helmets and we would like to encourage you all to consider the benefits of wearing one. We have cycling safety sessions in Years 5 and 6 but as a number of younger children also use their bikes and scooters to come to school we thought we would share some tips from the ‘School Run’ website, which you can access via this link: https://www.theschoolrun.com/safe-cycling-tips-kids

•  ensure children wear a cycle helmet
• young cyclists should always wear light-coloured, fluorescent and reflective clothing to help them to be seen, as well as having lights on their bike
• investigate the density of the traffic and any problems on the route before considering letting your child out unsupervised
• before they set off, travel the route with them a few times so that they are confident and familiar with where they’ll be going. You may wish to cycle behind them for a few weeks to build their confidence
• accidents do happen and it’s important to be prepared, so ensure your child is able to respond in an emergency. Make sure they know how to make a 999 call, are aware of their home telephone number and know their own address
• there is safety in numbers, so where possible ensure your child has a cycling ‘buddy’ whenever they’re out, such as a friend or older sibling
• as well as being road safe, it’s a good idea to ensure your child knows how to respond to other risks – meeting strangers or getting lost, for example. Perhaps give them a mobile phone so they can get in touch if they run into trouble
• if your child is cycling to a friend’s house, let another adult know and give them an idea of when they can expect your child to arrive

There are also useful tips via this link:

• https://www.raleigh.co.uk/2018/07/keep-your-family-safe-on-the-roads/