Effectively this school is not telling children/parents how to travel to school; they are merely making conditions for the use of their cycle storage facility.

The obvious knock on effect is that their conditions will (if adhered to) prevent some children from cycling to school, but strictly speaking they are not dictating activities beyond the school gates, of course they know the effect of their policy, but getting them to change it requires diplomacy rather than combative behaviour, the school is not your enemy, they are an organisation and are bound to give due consideration to all requests and suggestions from parents.

I can see both sides. I think it really should be the parent’s decision as to whether their child is capable to ride to school. After all, they are likely to have much more experience in assessing their own child’s ability. It requires a degree of common sense. However, common sense seems to be lacking from lots of parents these days. Schools know this and are just trying to cover their own backs. It does seem a bit silly to introduce such a rule though when there is no immediate facility to pass such a test. It’s like the government suddenly shutting down a driving test centre! From a practical perspective it isn't possible to run the tests all the time, however it isn't fair (or very pro-cycling) to deny this facility quickly either when such regulation is in place! This brings us back to good old-fashioned parental responsibility!

Despite all the training, bicycles are not really dangerous in comparison to most vehicles on the road. As I understand it, the cycling proficiency test is designed to help children cope with vehicle hazards. When it really takes a car/bus/lorry to seriously injure a child then why penalise them?

CTC's campaigns team has just launched the Right to Ride to School campaign, which is about supporting the right of all children to ride to school. Schools that ban or discourage cycling are surprisingly common, and it can be very difficult to find information on what to do about it (although there have been some good suggestions here).

Look out for CTC's campaigning pack with advice on how to overturn school cycle bans and information on liability and the school journey.

You can learn more at http://www.ctc.org.uk/righttoridetoschool

Great – CTC adding fuel to a fire that doesn't even exist here.

This is a badly implemented good idea – training kids is the proper thing to do – it just needs more training available at more pertinent times to make it work – not militant parents getting uppity.

Always good to see a bit of a shotgun approach to an issue – combined with the 'parents know best' junta. What great adverts for responsible education and cycling.

Great – CTC adding fuel to a fire that doesn't even exist here

A fire [as you put it] does exist – the OPs kid was reprimanded for cycling to school by a teacher.

Of course training them is the proper thing top do – & no one has agrued against it – but to discourage anyone who's untrained is wrong IMO

parents know best? – you bet we do, although TBH I've never tried bringing them up by committee

If the school feels able to ban certain vehicles for travel to school why don't you write to the governers and ask them to ban 4x4s?

Page 145 of this http://www.dft.gov.uk/adobepdf/162469/221412/221549/227755/rcgb2007.pdf may be useful

in 2007 47 children died or seriously injured cycling to school
442 walking
28 whilst in cars

theres lots of other tables there, and obviously lots more people walk/drive than cycle, but ask them what they're doing to reduce pedestrian deaths.