BRitaIn’s future Olympic BMX stars could come from Bradley.

St Thomas Primary School has become one of only a few schools in the country to have its own BMX track to teach youngsters how to ride competitively and safely – and perhaps discover a champion rider for the future.

Head teacher David Rushby was keen to add to the school’s sporting activities and came up with the idea of a BMX track after seeing a video showing how the provision of a track in Peckham, South London, had transformed the local community and helped tackle anti-social behaviour.

“We had a corner of our field that has never been used,” he said. “It wasn’t suitable for something like a football pitch.”

Local builder David Wragg set about constructing the BMX track with help from employes at Cummins Turbo Technologies. “Two employees at Cummins had experience of building a track in Sheffield,” said Mr Rushby. “And about 10 employees helped complete the track with landscaping and barriers made from surplus tyres.”

Local company and educational specialists Grow to School completed the finishing touches by helping the children to design and plant.”

Head of St Thomas's School, Bradley, David Rushby with friends of St Thomas's and pupils, (left to right) Cam'ron Simpson, Paige Hirst, Dejan Strainovic and Aliya Spencer at the new BMX track in the grounds of the school.

A member of the school’s parents group, Friends of St Thomas, acquired 28 discounted bikes from Halfords while Magic Rock Brewery donated a further four bikes. Having 32 bikes mean a whole class can ride at one session.

“The new track is intended to teach children how to ride competitively and safely. Many of our children ride around the streets and so it seems logical, positive and pro-active to make this exciting connection.

“A programme of education has now been written by the school as well as working with British Cycling to teach the children to ride. The scheme of work is designed to engage the children at an early age, allowing them to gain confidence, before getting them on the track to develop.

“It will be a long-term programme that will fit well within the schools PE curriculum, which already includes a five-year tennis programme as well as a successful mountaineering scheme that has seen over 100 children climb the Three Peaks.”

Mr Rushby said the school already had a curriculum topic theme covering the Tour de France and provided school trips to the Manchester velodrome. The long-term objective was for the children to see BMX as an accessible sport that can provide exciting and realistic opportunities.