Inclusivity: Working with SEND Children in Mainstream Schools

About This Project

The Go Velo approach is inclusive, and we welcome the opportunity to offer Bikeability and Learn to Ride cycle training to children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in mainstream schools. We’ve developed a clear process for arranging this training:

• The school makes the booking
• We then ask the school for information about the group we’ll be training, including whether any of the pupils are SEND-registered or require additional support or equipment
• We allocate instructors according to experience, and we source any specialist cycling equipment that’s required if we don’t already have it.

When it comes to our cycle training for schools, we like to encourage all children to have a go, giving them every opportunity to develop and progress.

What Schools Say

“Go Velo came into our primary school to delivery Bikeability training to our Year 5’s. Although we are a mainstream school within this year group there are 3 children with mobility issues.  We informed Go Velo of their needs and they provided suitable specialist equipment to enable full inclusivity for these children.”

Our instructors take a calm, patient and understanding approach. They work progressively with the children to help build their confidence and abilities. We aim to provide everyone who attends with at least a basic level of cycle skills.

We work with children and with staff, so that what we do fits in with the ethos of the school and meets the expectations of its pupils.

The idea is to leave all the children who take the training with some sense of achievement:

“All the children enjoyed the experience enormously and were proud of their certificates and badges. The teacher has asked if Go Velo can come back as the children got so much out of it.”

As well as building self-confidence, cycle training can have physical benefits for children with SEND:

“One of the children is normally in a wheelchair or walker to get around and the specialist equipment supplied meant that he could sit securely and safely upright and move unaided around the yard.  He absolutely loved it.  His teaching assistant found that the increased mobility and activity helped enormously with his flexibility and strengthened his core. This meant he needed less time her doing physio throughout the course.”

As part of the training, we’ll bring along whatever the school requires for its pupils, including bikes, helmets and specialist equipment:

“We always find Go Velo to be accommodating and sensitive concerning all children’s needs.”

With various schools, we’ve been doing this for years, and this has meant we’ve built up close relationships with them. They know they can rely on us to deliver cycle training that’s appropriate, inclusive and inspiring for all children.

Cycle Training for Schools from Go Velo

For more information about Go Velo’s courses for schools, please fill in our contact form, and we’ll be back in touch as soon as possible.