Bikeability Scotland training helps to increase road safety awareness in young people, giving them the skills and confidence to travel more safely by bike. In 2025, Dumfries & Galloway became one of the latest local authorities in Scotland to deliver on-road cycle training in all of its primary schools, 90 in total.
One of those schools involved is Springholm Primary School, situated on a daffodil-lined road in rural Kirkcudbrightshire. The reasons for taking part in cycle training are clear, as explained by P5 pupil Jack: "there are a lot of vehicles including tractors on our roads. It is important to help us know what to do around other road users".
Principal and Class Teacher, Mrs Campbell, gave more detail, explaining that the school has taken part in Bikeability training for several years:
Bikeability is something the pupils always look forward to. Bikeability is important to us because we live in a rural area and see cycling as a great way for our pupils to travel independently. We recognise cycling as being great for our pupils’ wellbeing too. Promoting sustainable travel like cycling is important to us as a school, and the training reinforces our school’s values of kindness, respect, equity and ambition.
Several of the pupils talked about improving their skills, whereas others enjoyed being active out in the fresh air:
"I learned how to indicate when turning” (Sera, P6)
“It helped me to learn hand signals” (Joey)
“It was fun to be outdoors in the fresh air” (Mitch, P6)
“It was fun to ride my bike on the road. It was nice to ride a bike at school because we can’t often do that” (George, P6)
Independent research shows a clear link between pupils who have taken part in Bikeability training and more frequent cycling, and this is the case for the young people at Springholm. Of the 18 pupils we spoke to, 15 said they were planning to continue cycling after they’d completed their training, and eight said they already cycled a lot more as a result. Anna, P6 said, “it made me ride my bike more. I liked Bikeability, it was fun”. “It encouraged my family to cycle more” added Siena, P7.
Mrs Campbell reflected on the impact of the training on the young people at the school:
It has been wonderful to see my pupils go from strength to strength, developing their skills and confidence as cyclists. They particularly enjoyed the longer bike ride during the last session, and this provided them with an excellent opportunity to explore their local area. Overall Bikeability has been a fantastic experience for them.
More information about Bikeability Scotland delivery
Dumfries & Galloway was alongside Midlothian, Moray and Perth & Kinross in achieving 100% delivery for the first time in 2024-25, a year which saw more than 53,000 pupils take part in the training across Scotland and more schools participate than ever before.
Free for pupils, Bikeability is funded and co-ordinated by Cycling Scotland, in a long-term partnership with local authorities, through grant funding from Transport Scotland.
