It is designed to ensure children have the skills to cycle to school safely – however figures revealed by Scottish Labour shows provision varies across the country.
Children from deprived backgrounds are most likely to miss out on the training.
Figures from 2023-24 show that the majority of children in 11 local authority areas have not done the cycling proficiency training, while more than two thirds of primary school pupils are yet to undertake the lessons in eight council areas.
It means that more than a third of primary school children in Scotland have yet to complete their cycling proficiency tests.
However, it is understood around 60,000 children took part in the course in 2023-24.
READ MORE:
Chief Constable visits just 36 police stations in 15 months
Cost of food for prisoners higher than some Scottish hospitals
Alex Salmond aide to step down as Alba Party general secretary
Slater: Difficult to work in government with Scottish Labour
Martin Whitfield, children and young people’s spokesman for Scottish Labour, described the figures as a “broken promise”.
While local authorities including Aberdeen City, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian and Stirling showed 100% of primary school children had undertaken the proficiency training, in areas such as East Ayrshire, uptake was just 8%.
In Falkirk, just 19% of children had taken the course, while the figure was 21% and 24% in Fife and Glasgow respectively.
West Lothian was one of the areas to record its highest ever delivery rate – however that was still just 37%.
Mr Whitfield, a former primary school teacher who now represents the South Scotland region in Holyrood, said: “The SNP made a promise to the people of Scotland that every child leaving school would have the ability to cycle safely – but like so many of their promises, this one has been broken.
“Cycling proficiency training benefits children’s safety and wellbeing, as well as promoting sustainable transportation.
“It is a scandal that so many children in Scotland are being deprived of the chance to learn to cycle by this postcode lottery.
“The SNP government must work with councils to ensure that all children have access to high quality cycling proficiency programs.
“Our children deserve the opportunity to learn essential skills for safe and sustainable travel.”
READ MORE:
Glasgow’s drug consumption room given official opening date
Hogmanay heartbreak: Time to rethink Edinburgh’s big events?
Pressure on hospitals as flu cases rise by 12 per cent in a week
Cycling Scotland, who runs the national programme, said just 31.5% of primary schools delivered on-road cycling training when the scheme was first introduced in 2010.
A spokesperson said that since then the programme has “grown significantly with a record number of Scottish councils delivering cycling training at every primary school in their area in 2023-24.”
“We are working with councils to keep increasing the number of young people who can receive training,” a spokesman added.
“60,000 children took part in training last year, which contrasts to 71% of adults who have never received any formal cycling training, according to our research.
“This reinforces the importance of teaching at school to maximise the number of people reached who can use the training now and later in life.
“Countries with the highest levels levels of cycling, such as the Netherlands, still provide national cycle training schemes for school children. Together with building a network of safe, dedicated cycle lanes and preventing dangerous driving, Bikeability Scotland training is essential to support more people to cycle.”
The Scottish Government said more than 1,200 schools took part in the Bikeability Scotland training programme in the 2023-24 academic year.
Meanwhile, seven councils achieved their highest ever delivery rate of the scheme, including Stirling, Angus, Dumfries and Galloway and Renfrewshire.
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “Through the Scottish Government’s commitment to and investment in Bikeability training, we saw the highest ever number of children take part in 2023-24, more local authorities requesting funding and support, and a record number of local authorities delivering Level 2 on-road cycle training in all their primary schools.
“Through the Bikeability Scotland programme our aspiration remains that all children have access to national standard cycle training, and we have continued to target and see an upward trend in participation.”