Just seen that no longer is MTBing part of the GCSE PE curriculum after 2017.
We have students doing it as part of their GCSE PE currently, and they love it. Many of them have never been taken biking off-road before due to home circumstances etc.
I think it would be a great shame for kids to miss out on opportunities like this.

Just wondered what your thoughts are on having mountain biking as part of the curriculum?

cycling definitely should be in the curriculum IMO

Didn’t even know it was IN the curriculum… Thats proper ace, why is it being removed from ’17 ?
is Road riding in there >?

Personally I think it should be compulsory for one year secondary education if only to teach kids both the joys & hazards of riding a bike and hope they’ll follow it through into when they start driving.

Serious question this – if it’s part of GCSE PE who provides the equipment for MTBing? Do the students bring their own or does the school have some bikes for it?

Would be interested to hear what sort of safety checks are required is they bring their own, I can imagine it being a nightmare at times.

Our school has a full set of MTBs, they are cared for by the LBS every now and then. Helmets all provided etc.
The PE teachers are trained to deliver it up to level 2 through British Cycling.
I get to go along to help as I have to film individuals doing the trails, so keep doing the runs again and again, as we need it for evidence. I’m one of the only members of staff to do it as a hobby so get to tag along, beats being in the classroom for a day!

I think with the tories ‘shake-up’ of education, they have said they do not want certain things on the curriculum. a number of sports have been taken off, which means schools simply will not offer them. Great shame.

Cheers for the info mrwhyte.

Must be a lucky school to have a fleet of MTBs for this sort of thing.

Obviously I’m biased, I didn’t know it was in, but I’m trilled it is.

Playing Devil’s advocate though, buying and maintaining a small fleet of MTB’s is a hell of a lot more than a couple of foot/rugby balls so if a school is struggling for budget I can see why they wouldn’t be keen.

I coach kids at both GCSE and A level.

I think one of the reasons it is being removed is because there is no real capability within the system to moderate it accurately.

It is remaining as an option at A level.

I am gutted it is being removed…. as are all the PE teachers and heads I work with.

It’s a bloody shame- I hated PE because it was all competitive, mostly contact, just miserable for the unsporty kid. MTB is one of the few nerd sports.

England or Scotland or both?
Mate is an mtb tutor and works for local outdoor ed, has a trailer load of bikes to transport around D &G 😆

I think our school got a lot of cash from the olympic legacy, but now for many places that cash and legacy has been forgotten. A real shame considering that the olympics is a major reason for the increased interest in biking in all formats.

England or Scotland or both?

Those of us North of the border have an enlightened approach to education. 😉

Not GCSE but there’s groups that use Swinley that I’d guess are either at the end of KS2 or KS3. Only had a brief chat with them but apparently they do all sorts of other sports like Archery etc for the kids that don’t like the usual football etc. Did make me wonder if archery was really a sport though*. And I suppose with tight budgets it’s easier to adopt a one size fits all curiculum coveirn team sports. I always remember hating PE in the summer term as it was athletics, there’s nothing duller than spending most of your hour queing to throw a discus/javelin/shot or do a longjump etc, fine if that’s your hobby, but 80% of kids I’m sure would rather run about playing football (and of the other 20, most will do it even if it’s not their favoured sport, and the few remaining kids are the ones that hated PE).

*Ok, at a competition level I’m sure arm and core strength and ballance come into it, but at school level it’s surely more ‘activity’ than sport.

. I always remember hating PE in the summer term as it was athletics, there’s nothing duller than spending most of your hour queing to throw a discus/javelin/shot or do a longjump etc, fine if that’s your hobby, but 80% of kids I’m sure would rather run about playing football (and of the other 20, most will do it even if it’s not their favoured sport, and the few remaining kids are the ones that hated PE).

I was the opposite, hated football, still do.
Son is the same. He was into bmx from 5, then ice hockey, then sculling. Asthma made life a bit more difficult for both of us. Hi best friend was into archery as well as football. They will be 35 this year 🙄

matt_outandabout – Member
England or Scotland or both?

Those of us North of the border have an enlightened approach to education.

Primary school at Ae is applying to some scheme to buy bikes and kit to get their kids out on bikes. Forest is just across the road 😆

Saw a group of what seemed like school kids at Healy nab yesterday, suddenly it all makes sense.

We all know which way not to vote at the election then.

Chakaping, were they all on basic Trek’s? I know that Ribblesdale school from clitheroe were out yesterday somewhere local on a load of bikes I used to use for schoolkids days out, that have circuitously found their way to the school

Might have been, they were dark coloured frames iirc.