The day of the Grand Depart is fast approaching and today we glimpsed the riders from Garmin Sharp Pro Cycling Team testing out the Yorkshire terrain.
Many of the schools in the area have quite rightly been linking their learning to Le Tour Yorkshire this term. The last time we visited Burley Oaks Primary School, we commented on the impressive number of learners biking to school on a daily basis. It is clear that this school recognises the importance of being active and has effective links to Sustrans.
Burley Oaks Primary School have also embraced the opportunity afforded by Le Tour Yorkshire with their unique programme of events.
Biking of a different sort featured at an inspirational event we attended last month. The Physical Education and School Sport (PESS) South Wales conference, ‘Physical Literacy: the Game Changer’, allowed educators and learners to showcase their work. The event kicked off in dramatic style with a ‘performance’ by Savage Skills freestyle bike stunt team. Admittedly, you won’t see these riders competing on the roads through the Yorkshire Dales. However, they do promote active participation on 2 wheels by children and young adults.
Primary schools in Wales do not have funding for Primary PE and Sport Premium, but what they do have are passion and creativity, two terms commonly over-used in education, but not in this case. To find out more, search the hashtag #PESSConf14, visit Sport Wales, and check out their work on Physical Literacy.
It is wonderful that the £750m funding for Primary PE and Sport Premium has been extended to 2020 and it will be interesting to see if any Yorkshire schools use their funding to develop participation in biking in its many different forms, following Le Tour.
It is essential that this funding is spent wisely and in our opinion, it must also need to link to health, otherwise we will be missing a huge opportunity to make a real difference, especially in terms of tackling the problems associated with inactivity and obesity. With this in mind, we urge you to follow @move1hour, visit Designed to Move and view the infographic.
Then talk with your colleagues, ask yourselves if the ethos in your school is right and if you are doing enough to emphasise the importance not just of PE and school sport, but also physical literacy, health and well-being. Then, get on yer velos and share your successes and ideas…