How far would you walk to school each day?

In one of their trips to Rural Gambia, The Gambia Teachers Union (GTU) saw students walking long distances to school under the hot burning Sun (40 degrees and more) often without proper shoes. This causes a lot of students to drop out of school or come late, and this affects performance and retention.

Teachers at Njoren School, in the Upper River Region of The Gambia, noticed that Lamin, one of their students had holes in his shoes, and eventually had to walk bare foot. The teachers were concerned when he explained that his parents could not afford to buy any more shoes, they wore out so quickly, as he lived an hours walk away and they were concerned he would stop attending school altogether.

When Marie Antionette, General Secretary of GTU (Gambia Teachers Union), heard this story she discussed ideas with the teachers in the region and they decided that many of the children needed bicycles to get to school. She contacted the Steve Sinnott Foundation to see if they could provide funds for them to buy bicycles locally to give to the children who lived far from their schools.

We were able to help, and now students in Bollybana School, in the Upper River Region of The Gambia have received bicycles from the Gambia Teachers Union through the support of the Steve Sinnott Foundation. Now Lamin and many other children at his school have bicycles to get to school. They are not tired when they get there, their shoes are not wearing out and they are able to concentrate at school.

Education is a basic human right, and sometimes the obstacle to getting an education is simply that the school is hard to get to.


Some communities are very isolated and consequently some students have to walk 9km to school every day, that’s an 18km round trip. In one of the remote schools in the Lower River Region of The Gambia some of the children walk the equivalent of 50 miles a week to get to school and back. Long journeys to school result in students arriving late, being too tired to study when they are there and some students don’t enrol at school at all. Walking long distances in the heat can also be dangerous.


Bicycles enable students to get to school more easily, and safely. There is a huge impact on their performance at school too, as they are more able to study effectively.


When they received these bicycles the students were overjoyed. They are so keen to get an education, even if it does mean walking long distances to get there, but having a bicycle enables them to get far more out of their education.


Educators are also delighted to see the children at safely at school, on time and not too tired to work. They can enjoy teaching and see the children thrive.


If you want to support more children to cycle to school you can buy the gift of a bicycle here:

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Give the Gift of a Bicycle
Steve Sinnott • June 8, 2021

Headlines: Inspiration, humour and advice for school leaders - Competition 2025

By Ann Beatty • August 15, 2025
Mike Fleetham of Thinking Classroom has written a book " Headlines: Inspiration, humour and advice for school leaders ". A collection of original ideas, advice from professionals, quotes, and tips to support and inspire all leaders. Perfect for new and established leaders working in education, especially headteachers. "Being a headteacher is like looking both ways before you cross the road, and then getting hit by an aeroplane." To Enter the Competition To win a copy of Headlines please share your inspiring education or life lesson in no more than 600 words. The winning article will also be published in our next edition of Engage. Send your words of inspiration to admin@stevesinnottfoundation.org.uk ๐Ÿ“… Deadline: 5th September 2025โ  Stuck on Ideas? Here are some questions and prompts to get you started! What’s the one lesson school didn’t teach you, but life did? Think of a moment that changed your path, what happened? What piece of advice has helped you grow the most? When did a challenge turn into an opportunity for you? What story from your life would inspire someone on the other side of the world? What’s the life lesson that unlocked your next chapter? โ  Your words could uplift, empower and be seen by many. Let your story inspire the world! ๐ŸŒ๐Ÿ’กโ  Good luck and we cant wait to read all the entries!

UNESCO ASPnet Schools Coventry

By Ann Beatty • July 8, 2025
This week our CEO Ann and Jude (SSF Ambassador) visited schools in Coventry and heard about the wonderful work that students are doing to foster peace and community connection, as part of Coventry Arts Week. We visited Lyng Hall school in the morning and met with Ms Hagan and four of the schools UNESCO ASPnet ambassadors. They told us all about their recent project. The students took their art and poetry to the 80th Anniversary symposium in Ypres and Dunkirk. They shared with us some of the poetry they had written together with the students on the field trip and some of their own poems too. They also shared their future plans for working with their local primary school on peace and community. We also had the privilege of joining Ms Hagans class where they were looking at Caliban’s tale. Here is one of the students work

A Get Moving Fundraiser - Ann's 60 Miles Walk

By Ann Beatty • June 30, 2025
For my birthday this year I had the honour to walk 60 miles (yes it was a big 0 birthday) over 3 days to support the essential work of the Steve Sinnott Foundation of which I am CEO. Education in its many forms is essential for all of us to thrive and make the most of life's opportunities. The Foundation works to ensure that as many children and adults as possible across the globe can access the human right of education. The plan was to walk with friends and supporters who I hoped would keep me smiling along the way and it felt like a good way to make use of the Foundation’s “Get Moving” campaign. Here's how my Get Moving Fundraiser went on the first day. The 13th June I started my walk in London by walking from Barnet to west Hampstead and visiting my sister at her shop at Tree of Life where I got served a nice iced coffee to keep me going.