http://road.cc/content/news/232269-surrey-school-says-students-can-only-cycle-school-if-they-fit-number-plate-their

A better solution to the problem would be to educate the parents who drive their kids to school on treating cyclists as other road users.

Usual rubbish, been going on for years. In the early 80's I was banned from cycling to school because I lived 100yds inside an arbitrary red circle drawn on a map and was judged as living 'too close' fortunately my grandparents lived next to the school so I left my bike in their garden every day instead of the school bike sheds.

Interestingly, I used to go to Glyn school, mentioned in the comments, which implemented these rules earlier in the year.

 

Used to cycle there nearly every day, with not a peep of an issue with road safety, or negative impact on the environment.

 

Admittedly that was early 80's though

At my mate's boy's school, they had a rule that pupils had to wear a helmet to cycle to school, so he cycled to school without his helmet and locked his bike nearby - until it got nicked.

The number plate as a licence to park your bike on the premises is a good idea. It might even reduce theft... My sister tells the story that when she started in secondary school, at age 13, she was supplied with a black bike previously used by an aunt... When she to the bicycle shed. All the bikes were black!!! And she could not recognise her one and the one which was left was a decrepit wreck . When our father learned of this he marched her down to a local shop and bought her the brand new "Pink Witch. " .. early swinging sixties!!! . Bright pink bodywork, bright green mudguards, white saddle and a mirror.. . She had no difficulty in recognising her bike since.

I am ambivalent about cycle helmets for adults, but concede they are helpful over young brains, where the skull is still not fully hardened.

Many of the postings on that topic from the roadcc website are off. The headmaster is to be commended for promoting bike use.

They're just doing what the Communists and National Socialists did, making the State—and its agents—the parent(s) of children. What kid wouldn't want to be brought up by politicians?