To think it's too far for school?

[candlesnotlights]

My cousin and I both have 11year old daughters. We live opposite sides of country but speak weekly and support each other on kid stuff.

My dd has just started secondary school, 15 minute walk away.

She is sending hers to a school out of area which will culminate in a 2 hour commute.

I understand she wants the best education etc etc but reAlly? 2 hours. I think this is toooo much. Wouldn't you just send her local school and have a better quality of all aspects of life?

[ellyelly247]

I'd trust she had made an informed decision and leave her to it. YABU.

[WorraLiberty]

Do you mean an hour there in the morning and an hour back in the afternoon?

If that's the case, it sounds ok to me.

But ultimately, I couldn't be giving this more than a fleeting thought as it's not my child.

[gwenneh]

Between traffic and the agony that was the car park at DS's school back in the UK, plus the impossibility of actually walking to the place from where we lived, 1 hour each way was the norm.

Annoying, but possible. We put up with it because it was a very good school. Maybe your cousin feels the same?

[LunaLoveg00d]

It's really up to her. No it's not ideal but it it's the choice between an hour's journey to an outstanding school which is perfect for a child and the local school which is very poor and churns out students with no qualifications, I'd be doing the same.

[safeea]

I'd have found 2 hours in the morning and evening difficult when I was at school. One hour each way is about average I think. It would take me an hour to get home because my bus was either not showing up, very late or driving straight past us 😄

[FV45]

We live rurally and many, many children travel an hour by bus in the morning and evening.

[AndNowItsSeven]

Forty minutes to an hour each way is the norm here if you want a decent school for your dc.

[AndNowItsSeven]

The nearest sink school is still a 15 minute bus ride, no schools are within walking distance.

[HermioneJeanGranger]

If it's an hour each way, YABU. But two hours each way is a bit ridiculous unless there's absolutely no other option.

I wouldn't want to commute that long to work, so I wouldn't inflict it on my children unless I had no choice.

[littlepeas]

Most of our secondary options are around an hour on the bus once all the stops and traffic are taken into consideration. Or it's quicker one way than the other (our preferred secondary picks up at 8.30am, but drops off at 5.30pm from our stop - so half an hour there, but an hour and a half back).

[Butkin]

DD has a 15 min car ride and then a 70 min bus ride each way.. Not ideal but the children take it in their stride..

[Noofly]

DC commute an hour each way. It's no big deal- DD loves the school bus as it has its own little social life and she spends the hour chatting away to friends. DS gets the train home. On Monday he did take some convoluted bus route with some friends to the train station and it took him a full 2 hours to get home. He's been told to stick to the normal bus route in future!

[JudyCoolibar]

Why does it matter to you?

[whywonthedgehogssharethehedge]

Not everyone has an easy option. DD's school is about a 40 minute walk away (although I drop her half way and she walks the rest with her friend). My own was a decent bus journey away and used to take just shy of an hour most nights (until we moved accross the road from school!)

I think an hour each end of the day is about right but 2 hours each end sounds difficult. It may be though that this is the very best school for her and they intend moving closer asap. It makes more sense to get her in and then move than to put her in somewhere else, move in 6 months and move her school.

[EreniTheFrog]

I went to a secondary school which had lots of kids travelling in that far. Many of them took the bus/train in together and had a far better social time than those of us who lived locally.

[wigglesrock]

My 11 year old has just started a new school. Her journey home will take her just short of 90 mins ( the morning one is less than half that). The odd time we'll be able to pick her up but to be honest her bus journey home isnt that unusual amongst her friends.

We thought long & hard about what school to send her to and it was ultimately her decision, I doubt your cousin just flipped a coin.

[midcenturymodern]

Ours takes 90 min. It's longer than I'd like but they just chat with pals on the bus.

[candlesnotlights]

judy, it doesn't really. I was just curious as to what others thought. That's what these forums are for, no?

It seems that it is quite normal, I think myself very lucky then that our local school is so nearby! My dd suffers travel sickness (still) and I suppose the thought of a couple of hours for her would be awful. It took me about 20 minutes in the car when I was at school and I don't remember it being such a chore either, it's just when I think of my cousins child not arriving home until after 5 I feel sad! Just my thoughts. I never said it was wrong!

[ladylanky]

I travelled an hour each way across the city to my school. The education was worth it and I had a fantastic time on the bus ride, most of the friends I still have from school caught that bus.

[candlesnotlights]

And just to add, there is a fabulous school 20 minutes from her too. She has just chosen the one 2 hours away. But hey ho, her choice!! I'll be supporting them both whatever!

[GabsAlot]

do u man 2 hours each way? if so i think thats excessive

[ParadiseCity]

My DC goes to school about 10 minutes drive away when the traffic is light. However, he takes the bus which goes round and round in loops in rush hour and so it takes about an hour but it doesn't 'feel' far away and seems fine iyswim.

[purplefox]

2 hours each way is insane, 2 hours in total is reasonable.

[yeOldeTrout]

I wouldn't do it either, OP. Just have to x fingers & hope it works out ok for them.