Discover the key UK funding streams available for school road safety and active travel programmes, and how to make your application stand out.
Road safety education in schools has never been more important. With cycling and active travel growing across the UK, children need structured safety training — and schools need a way to pay for it. The good news is that several well-established funding streams can support road safety and active travel programmes in schools right now.
Whether you are a headteacher, school business manager, or local authority road safety officer, this guide breaks down the main funding sources available in 2025-2026, who can apply, and how to strengthen your bid.
Active Travel England (ATE) is the government's executive agency responsible for making walking, wheeling, and cycling the natural choice for short journeys. It oversees some of the most significant funding available for school road safety programmes.
The Consolidated Active Travel Fund replaced the previous Active Travel Fund and Capability Fund from 2025-2026 onwards. It provides both capital and revenue funding to local transport authorities. Crucially, the revenue element supports community engagement and training activities — making school-based safety education a legitimate use of these funds.
For the period 2024 to 2026, the government allocated £300 million through this fund, with a further £616 million in capital funding committed from 2026 to 2030.
ATE has directed £60 million specifically to transform the school run, benefiting an estimated two million children. This includes:
At local level, councils can distribute small grants directly to schools. For example, Shropshire Council awarded fifteen schools a total of £13,000 from ATE funding in early 2026, with individual schools receiving up to £1,000 for bike racks, scooter training, safety equipment, and cycling resources.
ATE also runs the Active Travel Innovation Fund, offering individual grants of up to £100,000 for bold and innovative active travel interventions. Projects that demonstrate scalable behaviour change — such as digital safety education — align well with this fund's criteria.
The Road Safety Trust is the UK's leading independent grant-making charity for road safety. It runs two main funding rounds each year.
The Trust has announced a Large Grants round opening in early April 2026, with grants of £50,000 to £200,000 available from a total pot of around £750,000. Projects must be innovative, high-impact, and aligned with the UK Government's National Road Safety Strategy.
The Trust uses a two-stage application process: an initial expression of interest, followed by a full bid for shortlisted applicants. UK-based organisations including charities, public sector bodies, and university departments can apply.
The Small Grants Programme offers between £10,000 and £50,000 for projects up to 24 months, focused on improving road safety at a local level. This is well suited to pilot programmes or regional rollouts of digital safety training.
Primary schools in England receive the PE and Sport Premium — £320 million was allocated for the 2025-2026 academic year. Active travel to school, including cycling programmes, is an eligible use of this funding.
Schools receive their allocation in two instalments (autumn and spring) and must spend it before 31 July 2026. If your school is looking to fund a cycling safety programme, this is ring-fenced money already in your budget. Speak to your PE coordinator or school business manager about allocating a portion toward road safety education.
Bikeability is the government's national cycle training programme, funded by the Department for Transport and managed by the Bikeability Trust. Over 560,000 children received training in 2024-2025 alone.
Bikeability is free for schools to access — contact your local authority to find out if places are available. The Trust is currently seeking a three-year funding agreement for 2026-2029, which would provide long-term certainty for schools planning ahead.
While Bikeability covers practical on-road cycle training, it pairs well with online safety awareness programmes that teach hazard perception, road rules, and responsible riding before children get on a bike.
Beyond national programmes, many local authorities fund road safety education through their own budgets:
If you are a school looking for support, contact your council's Sustainable Travel Team or Road Safety Education Officer. If you are a local authority, consider how digital training tools can extend your reach without increasing staffing costs.
Most of these funding streams share common requirements: measurable outcomes, scalable delivery, evidence of behaviour change, and value for money. BCSA's digital safety awareness programme is designed to meet these criteria directly.
For a local authority funding a cohort of 20 schools, digital delivery through BCSA can cost a fraction of equivalent face-to-face programmes while reaching every pupil in every year group.
If you are exploring funding for road safety education in your school or local authority, we can help. BCSA's programme is designed to fit funding criteria from day one, with built-in reporting, scalable digital delivery, and measurable outcomes that satisfy grant requirements.
View our pricing to see how BCSA fits your budget, or get in touch to discuss how we can support your funding application with the data and evidence funders are looking for.
Book a demo with our team or request pricing for your organisation.
