Cycling Programmes
for Children

Jersey Sport offers cycling courses within school hours and throughout the school holidays, with opportunities for all ages to get involved with cycling and learning how to ride.

Cycling improves cardio-vascular fitness, builds muscle strength and can act as a stress reliever for children. Cycling can be a wonderful way to socialise, make new friends or stay active as a family. It also provides children with an increased sense of freedom and is a fantastic way to explore our beautiful island and enable independence on two wheels.  

BALANCE BIKE SESSIONS

Our Balance Bike sessions encourage children to develop the basic skills involved with cycling, whilst having fun in a safe and traffic-free environment. Riders will play games with our qualified and experienced Jersey Sport Cycling Instructors, which will help them to improve their balance skills in preparation for learning to cycle. 

Each Balance Bike session lasts between 30 to 45 minutes and will teach children the basics about steering, bike control, balance, spatial awareness, co-ordination, scooting and gliding (the rider keeps their feet off the floor whilst the bike is still in motion).

Sessions are purely for fun and to improve cycling skills – there is no pass criteria for this programme.

Jersey Sport currently offers these sessions as a 3-week programme for Year 1 children in Government of Jersey schools. We also offer bookable single sessions during school holidays, which run from selected school playgrounds. These courses will be available able to book on our ‘Children’s Activities’ page when they are released throughout the year. 

LEARN TO RIDE COURSE

Our Learn to Ride course is for children who can’t yet pedal a bike and would like to learn how to ride for the first time, gain confidence and understand the basics of cycling. This programme will teach children how to get on and off their bike safely, basic bike checks, bike handling and balancing skills. The sessions are held in a traffic-free environment and will be delivered by our qualified and experienced Jersey Sport Cycling Instructors.

The sessions last between 45 to 90 minutes and focus on improving riders balance, pedalling, starting and stopping, straight line riding, cornering and confidence on the cycle.

In order to pass the course, the child must be able to start and stop using both brakes confidently, pedal in a straight line constantly without wobbling unaided, perform cornering tasks effectively with both feet on the pedals, and understand what safe riding is in a traffic free environment. 

Jersey Sport offer Learn To Ride sessions at after-school clubs in partnership with the island’s primary schools, which run from their own school playground. We also offer Learn To Ride courses in most school holidays which are FREE and run from selected school playgrounds. The courses are available able to book under our ‘Children’s Activities’ page when they are released throughout the year. 

CYCLING WITH CONFIDENCE

Cycling with confidence is a beginner’s activity for children who can pedal their cycles independently but lack confidence when cornering, controlling their speed and stopping with control. This course aims to boost riders’ confidence and control including looking behind and taking their hands off the handlebars. The sessions are delivered in a traffic free environment and will be delivered by qualified cycle instructors.

Cycling with confidence sessions are run over 2-3 days at 1 hour per session, depending on which holiday period it is being run in, as they are run solely in holiday periods. Sessions are purely for fun and to improve cycling skills – there is no pass criteria for this programme. The courses are available able to book under our ‘Children’s Activities’ page when they are released throughout the year. 

FUN CYCLING

Fun cycling aims to increase riders’ confidence and bike handling skills through a selection of fun cycling games. The course is progressive and encourages riders to improve their bike control whilst learning how to cycle respectfully with others. The sessions are delivered in a traffic-free environment and will be delivered by qualified cycle instructors.

These sessions last roughly 90 minutes and are run solely in school holiday periods with the focus being the fun and enjoyment of cycling! Sessions are purely for fun and to improve cycling skills – there is no pass criteria for this programme. The courses are available to book under our ‘Children’s Activities’ page when they are released throughout the year.

Please note: this course is separate to the Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 1 qualification and is for recreational purposes only.

JERSEY SPORT CYCLE TRAINING

Jersey Sport Cycle Training – Level 1 

Our Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 1 course aims to develop mastery in cycle handling in a traffic-free environment and prepares riders for cycling on the road. Riders MUST already be able to start and stop, pedal and turn efficiently before attending this course. Children will be taught good cycling habits such as cycle clothing and helmet checks before riding.

Please note, this course DOES NOT qualify your child to ride on the road unaccompanied.  

The session consists of a single two hour session. At Level 1, riders will learn to carry out and improve on the following: 

• Prepare themselves for a journey 
• Check their cycle is ready for a journey 
• Set off, pedal, slow down and stop appropriately 
• Looking behind  
• Cycling one handed 
• Avoiding obstacles 
• Turning and controlling speed 
• Riding in single formation and pairs as part of a group 

There is a rider pass criteria, which you can view by clicking the button below. On completion of the Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 1 programme, each child will be provided with a completion certificate.

Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 1 – Pass Criteria

Jersey Sport delivers Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 1 to children in Years 5 and 6 in local primary schools. We also offer the course as a holiday programme, which run from selected school playgrounds. The courses are available able to book under our ‘Children’s Activities’ page when they are released throughout the year. 

Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 2 

Riders must have successfully demonstrated they are confident and have achieved a pass for the Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 1 assessment criteria before they start Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 2 training.

The Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 2 course aims to develop riders’ skills and confidence for cycling on single-lane roads and simple junctions with mostly moderate motor traffic flows. The programme will also prepare riders for cycling on more complex, often busier, or faster roads and junctions.

The session consists of three, two hour sessions. At Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 2, riders will learn to carry out and improve on the following: 

• Road awareness and communication
• Road safety knowledge
• Cycle safely, responsibly, identify and respond to hazards
• What different road signs and road markings mean
• How to ride in a group on the road
• How to perform and negotiate turns on the road
• How to pass parked cars
• How to maintain suitable riding positions
• Riders’ confidence on the road
• Riders’ ability to ride a journey

There is a rider pass criteria, which you can view by clicking the button below. On completion of the Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 2 programme, each child will be provided with a completion certificate.

Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 2 – Pass Criteria

Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 2 is run from two locations – FB Fields and Les Quennevais Cycle Track. The course will run in the majority of school holidays. These Jersey Sport Cycle Training courses are available able to book under our ‘Children’s Activities’ page when they are released throughout the year. 

Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 1 + 2 Combined

This course combines the Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 1 and 2 syllabus to allow those who have not yet undertaken Level 1, but are ready to take on the challenge of Level 2, the opportunity to participate. This course is usually aimed at secondary school children who missed the opportunity to take Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 1 in primary school.

Riders MUST be able to ride confidently, competently and consistently in a traffic-free environment. This involves starting and stopping with control, steering the bike safely and accurately. The Level 1 and 2 syllabus described above is what is covered on this combined course.

Riders must have fully demonstrated that they are confident with the Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 1 assessment criteria before they start Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 2 training.

Please note: if riders are unable to demonstrate Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 1 skills confidently in a playground scenario on this course, they will not be allowed to progress onto the Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 2 road section.

The session consists of three, three hour sessions. Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 1 + 2 Combined is run from two locations – FB Fields and Les Quennevais Cycle Track. The course will run in the majority of school holidays. The courses are available able to book under our ‘Children’s Activities’ page when they are released throughout the year. 

There is a rider pass criteria, which you can view by clicking the button below. On completion of the Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 1+2 programme, each child will be provided with a completion certificate.

Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 1+2 – Pass Criteria

Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 3

Riders must have successfully demonstrated that they are confident with and have achieved a pass for the Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 2 assessment criteria before they start Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 3 training.

Our Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 3 course aims to develop riders’ skills and confidence so they can ride in diverse road environments, including complex, often busy roads and junctions, sometimes with speed limits above 30 mph. Riders will be asked to plan and successfully ride their own journeys through complex junctions.

The session consists of one, three hour session. At Level 3, riders will learn to carry out and improve on the following: 

• Planning a journey
• Plan to and ride assertively everywhere cycling is permitted
• Maintain suitable riding positions in the road
• Cooperate with and respect other road users (including avoiding driver blind spots and riding with others)
• Pass queuing traffic and use junctions controlled by traffic lights (if present)
• Use cycle infrastructure and multi lane roads (if present)
• Correctly navigate single and multi-lane roundabouts
• Ride on roads with speeds above 30 mph (if present)

There is a rider pass criteria, which you can view by clicking the button below. On completion of the Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 3 programme, each child will be provided with a completion certificate.

Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 3 – Pass Criteria

Jersey Sport Cycle Training Level 3 is run from the FB Fields in the majority of school holidays. The courses are  available able to book under our ‘Children’s Activities’ page when they are released throughout the year.