As we celebrate Cycle to School Week, there’s no better time to spotlight the inspiring work happening at Greenleys Junior School. By removing barriers to cycling and creating more opportunities for children to travel actively, the school is showing what’s possible when schools, local partners and communities work together.

Their success also comes at a time when active travel is firmly on the national agenda. The UK Government has set an ambition for 60% of children to walk, cycle or wheel to school by 2035, supported by investment in safer routes, crossings and active travel programmes. Currently, around 45-47% of children travel actively to school, highlighting the scale of the opportunity ahead.

Greenleys Junior School is ideally located near local walking and cycling routes, with most pupils living within easy travelling distance of the school. However, despite many children already travelling actively, access to suitable bikes remained a significant challenge. With around 60% of pupils eligible for pupil premium in 2025/26, many families faced financial barriers to owning a safe and suitable bicycle. As a result, children were often unable to participate in Bikeability sessions or develop the confidence and skills needed to cycle safely.

Assistant Headteacher Alastair Chapman explained:

“Access to bikes was a major barrier: many pupils either did not have a bike or had one that was unsafe or unsuitable for Bikeability sessions.”

 

A Place-Based Solution

Rather than focusing on a single intervention, Greenleys adopted a collaborative approach that brought together local partners, expertise and funding to create lasting change. Working alongside Milton Keynes City Council, Cycle Saviours, Living Streets, MK PEP and neighbouring schools, the school set out to make cycling accessible for every child.

Through Sport England Place Investment funding, Greenleys was able to:

  • Purchase 12 school-owned bikes
  • Install secure bike storage and maintenance equipment
  • Deliver Bikeability Level 1 and Level 2 training
  • Introduce Learn to Ride sessions for Year 4 pupils for the first time
  • Launch the Living Streets WOW Travel Tracker programme
  • Strengthen its school travel planning through Modeshift STARS

From Barrier to Behaviour Change

In 2024/25, only 13 pupils completed Bikeability training, following two years where no provision was available. Participation depended largely on whether children could bring a suitable bike from home.

Just one year later, the picture looked very different.

With access to school-owned bikes, around 75% of Year 5 pupils signed up for Bikeability, while Year 4 pupils were able to access Learn to Ride sessions and Level 1 training for the first time.

The benefits extended beyond cycling lessons. Data from the Living Streets Travel Tracker showed active travel rates increasing from 71.6% to more than 90%, peaking at 93%. Greenleys also achieved recognition as a Top 10 school locally and nationally within the WOW programme.

These figures demonstrate a powerful lesson: when barriers are removed, participation follows.

Creating a Culture of Active Travel

A key factor in Greenleys’ success has been the collaborative approach taken across Milton Keynes. Facilitated by Charlotte – MK Place Community Officer, and delivered through the MK Place Expansion Partnership (MK PEP) test and learn approach, the project brought together schools and local partners to trial solutions, remove barriers and identify what works in supporting more children to travel actively.

Through this collaboration, Greenleys was able to access the resources, training and support needed to increase participation, helping more pupils develop the skills, confidence and habits that support active travel for years to come.

As Cycle to School Week reminds us of the benefits of walking, wheeling and cycling, Greenleys Junior School provides a fantastic example of what can be achieved through targeted investment and collaboration.

 

Read the full case study here: Uniting the Active Travel Movement – Greenleys Junior School