A nine-year-old boy was knocked down by a cyclist while walking to school in Abingdon this morning.

The boy was making his way to the Thomas Reade Primary School, in Radley Road, when he was hit by a woman cyclist as he crossed the road by parked cars.

He suffered cuts and bruises and was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford for a check up. The cyclist was not hurt.

Headteacher John Searle said: "The boy was crossing the road to get to school when he was hit by the cyclist. Fortunately no-one was seriously hurt. The accident reinforces our campaign for a school crossing.

"We are part of the county's Better Ways to School programme and do everything we can to encourage children to walk or cycle safely to school."

In the last 18 months Thomas Reade has had a new path built across one of its fields to make it easier for children to reach the school. New cycle sheds have been installed and it has a "walking bus" system where children are accompanied by adults and walk to the school to cut down on parents using cars.

Mr Searle added: "We are very conscious of the need to encourage our pupils to walk or cycle to school and we are only one of two schools in Oxfordshire accredited by the county council for insurance purposes.

"The next stage is to get a crossing installed to make it safer for children walking across what at times is a busy road."