An update on our plans for 2021/22
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Welcome to the first day of the new financial year and we hope that this year will be focussed on stabilising our delivery in preparation for scaling up. We are extremely grateful for all the hard work being done by our grant recipients, training providers and instructors to ensure as many children are trained as possible so we can start to make progress to devliering cycle training to every child. However, we continue to recognise we still have many challenges and barriers to overcome for that to be a reality. The Bikeability Trust is working hard to champion our industry and we value your engagement and feedback as we seek to strengthen all aspects of Bikeability.
We believe that it is important to ensure that the entire industry is aware of our plans for 2021/22, therefore the below email has been sent to grant recipients, training providers and instructors. Some of the content may not be directly relevant to you, but we are commited to an open and transparent approach to our communications.
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All grant letters for 2021/22 must be returned as soon as possible, signed and agreeing to all terms and conditions. If you have already returned and signed your grant letter, your allocation for 2021/22 will be available on Link from 1 April 2021.
DfT has agreed to a Grant per Head rise to support training providers and instructors, in recognition of the financially unstable last 12 months and cumulative lack of funding rise since 2007. We strongly recommend passing on the grant per head rise to support industry’s ability to stabilise and prepare for scale up. We will be analysing contracting arrangements in 2021 and we are concerned to hear that some LHA’s are not passing on the rise in Training Provider contracts
Any requests to carry forward funding from cancelled places are being confirmed and will be added to your allocation in Link, once agreed. Any funding which is agreed to be carried forward will be used to claim for places at the new 2021/22 grant per head levels.
Please input your year-end delivery data and submit a claim via Link as soon as possible, the deadline for April pay run is 12 April for SGOs and 16 April for LHAs. There will be one final pay run in June to submit any late claims with a deadline of 7 June for SGOs and 11 June for LHAs. Any underspend will be determined after final year end pay run in June and confirmed after this date. We will to run a waiting list process for additional funding.
Currently, there is no DfT funding available for Bikeability Bus, Fix, On Show, Parents, Promotion, Recycled, Ride or Transition. Bikeability Adult may be delivered, but it will not be funded by DfT in 2021/22. Bikeability Balance, Learn to Ride and Family continue to be funded by DfT.
As detailed on Tuesday 30 March, we have launched a Bikeability Restart Grant for independent training provders who have suffered a financial loss. Find out more about the grant on our website.
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Our Shop will relaunch on Tuesday 6 April, ready for increased training delivery as Covid restrictions ease. We are now using WooCommerce, which is easy to use and accepts both card payments and BACS. As part of our new system, there will be some changes to shipping costs which are now a fair reflection of the true cost of postage.
Rider characteristics will become mandatory from 1 July 2021. We have listened to your feedback and for the first quarter of 2021/22, the collection of rider characteristics will not be compulsory - although we recommend you update your processes and procedures as soon as possible. We have updated the Link database to allow you to submit 0 under the "gender" and "ethnicity" columns and still be able to claim for a grant payment. From the 1 July 2021, it will be compulsory to submit this information, as well as information regarding SEND and Free School Meals.
The Bikeability Trust’s updated Privacy Policy will be shared with you shortly, to help support your data collection. Please ensure you have the correct processes and procedures in place to ensure your data collection is GDPR compliant. All rider characteristics added to the Link Database are fully anonymised and therefore GDPR compliant.
By gathering this data, we can improve how we demonstrate the reach and value of Bikeability cycle training to the Department of Transport which is vital for the future of the industry. As demonstrated by the bids received for the Innovation Fund SEND pilot, up to date and accurate data is vital to ensure that Bikeability is truly for all.
Thank you to everyone who has logged in to Link. We appreciate that a new system will always bring challenges and we are grateful for your time, feedback and support to ensure this new system continues to benefit the industry.
There are a number of future changes planned for Link over the next 12 months, and we will communicate these with launch dates in due course.
We have simplified our renewals process, and removed the grace period. We are also reviewing the policies, procedures and forms required for your renewal. Please ensure that both your primary and secondary emails are up to date on your Link account, to ensure you receive these communications.
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Cycle Savvy Driving, our pilot project designed to improve understanding and co-operation between people who drive and people who cycle, launches on 7 May. Driving instructors will be offered bespoke training to ensure cyclists’ safety is at the forefront of their minds when they teach new drivers. The pilot looks to recruit 4000 approved driving instructors to take part.
We are also delighted to be launching a Bikeability Instructor Bursary package. The Bikeability Trust, 1st4Sport and the DfT are working together to determine the bursary level for new instructors. Watch this space for more details, expected in June. We will not be able to pay the Instructor Bursary for courses that take place between April and when the scheme system is announced.
We have taken on board significant feedback from the instructor community regarding the challenges of the RPL route. We have agreed with DfT and 1st4Sport to review the course and see what changes can be made, ensuring that it is the most effective course to retain our committed and experienced Instructors. If the RPL is working for you, then please continue. We will continue to offer a £60 grant to reclaim some of the costs.
For those instructors yet to tackle the RPL route and may have concerns, we suggest waiting until we have reviewed the course, reflected on structure and how it links to the quality and retention of instructors. This may result in some changes to the course in the future and we ask for some patience whilst we assess this. We expect to complete the thinking in the first quarter of the year, by the end of June.
A 'one stop shop' for training providers IQA needs will be published shortly. This will include expectations and support materials which we hope will be helpful to all training providers.
Over the course of this year we will create a CPD hub, to help instructors and training providers better assess CPD needs, record progress and provide access to training, with direct content or by signposting to relevant opportunities.
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Marketing and Communications Update
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The Promotion and Communications team are looking forward to a busy year ahead, as the industry gets back to delivering cycle training to as many children as possible. This week, we started work on a brand new website, which will combine the Bikeability and Professionals websites into one easy to nagivate, engaging and user-friendly website.
To improve communication directly with Bikeability instructors, we will be trialling a new dedicated Facebook group where you can share ideas, ask questions and work together to help spread the reach of Bikeability throughout England. This trial group will be available for at least 6 weeks, after which we will review its effectiveness. To join, follow this link and provide your instructor reference number to be admitted into the group.
These projects are just a few examples of how we will:
1. Support the industry to ensure continued high quality, consistent delivery
2. Reach out to under-represented, hard-to-reach groups and help them overcome barriers to participation
3. Support families and Bikeability trainees to make the most out of their cycle training, and continue to enjoy cycling after Bikeability.
Keep your eyes peeled for some exciting films, new photography and plenty of inspiring stories, which will launch soon alongside our official announcement of our 2021/22 funding with the Department for Transport.
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