Would you let the security situation in London affect your choice of secondary school?

[frogs]

We will have to make secondary school applications for dd1 this autumn. We looked at quite a few last year, and made a provisional shortlist. Our first and second choices would involve travelling from our house just outside zone 1 against the flow of commuter traffic to zone 2 or three. Our other choice (good, well-regarded school) involves travelling diagonally across London to SW1 on the Victoria Line.

After the events of the last few weeks, the latter option gives me the heeby-jeebies a bit. Quite aside from the actual danger of being hurt (extremely small, presumably, but still worrying) I'm concerned about her getting marooned if there are any attacks in Central London and not knowing how to get home.

What do you all think? Would you let a long-term decision like secondary school choice be affected by what may or may not be a long-term situation in London?

[Blu]

Well, tbh, I have always thought that chaos, disruption, delays, cancellations and diversions were a very long term situation in London!

Mixing with friends out of school sounds harder in school 3.

[frogs]

That is true, of course, Blu.

The actual distance involved is roughly the same in all three schools, so the social life thing isn't a major consideration. It's just the central London thing that gave me the wobbles. Maybe I'm being a wuss.

[ScummyMummy]

I don't think I'd factor it into the equation if I thought it was the right school for her. Agree with blu that closer to home is a BIG advantage for school though. VERY curious as to which school it is! (I live in SW1).

[ScummyMummy]

This part of London is very hard to get stranded in, frogs, honestly. Tubes, Trains and buses galore. I was extremely disappointed to be well able to get into work on time on every occasion during recent disruptions!

[frogs]

Greycoats, SM. It's not a big secret.

Agree that it would be nice to be able to send her to the local school down the road, but it wouldn't be the best option for her in all sorts of other ways.

[ScummyMummy]

If there are any problems she can come to my flat and wait for you to collect her then, frogs. It's just round the corner.

[Marina]

Agree with you utterly about the disruption being much more of a worry than any likelihood of physical harm Frogs.
Many children travel in to schools like Greycoats from our neck of the woods too.
I would focus the choice tightly on the right school for HER and hope and pray the current alerts will subside to a more manageable post 7/7 state.
I would guess she will meet more people from her part of London at options 1 and 2, though.

[Marina]

But the prospect of being spattered with superglue or worse at the House of Scum should clinch it for you Frogs
How are your Gruesome Twosome Scummy?

[ScummyMummy]

Superglue or worse?!? Talk to the hand...

They're fine

[Earlybird]

I'm also a short walk from Greycoat, so you could contact me if need be, if scummy isn't available. Would be glad to help if you got into an emergency situation.

By the way, scummy, good to know there's another mumsnetter so close by. IIRC, our kids might not be compatible (dd is girly 4 year old), but maybe we could meet for a coffee sometime when we're back from summer break. We're currently in America until end of August....

[ScummyMummy]

That would be lovely, earlybird.

[frogs]

Oh guys, that's so sweet, thanks.

Good to see you're all quite chilled about it. Usually I'm the one being blase about my children going off all over the place, so I suspect in this case I'm allowing my fears to run away with me. It was just the memory of trying to get through to my dh on 7th July who works in the middle of Bloomsbury, right by where the bus was blown up, and imagining how I'd feel if it all happened again and my little baby might have been anywhere nearby. We live in bad times.

But I think Greycoats will be our 3rd choice, so probably won't come to that anyway.

[firestorm]

im really paraniod. so for me i would rule out anything that involved crossing central london unless there was no other option.

[soyabean]

Pimlico was an option for our ds, so near Greycoats. We are in SE5. We decided against it in the end and he travels even further but against commuting traffic to Wandsworth. The school is great (he is now going into yr 9) and he isnt phased by the travelling. But I have to say I did feel relieved that he wasnt having to travel into central LOndon, recently. As you say, its the disruption more than the actual statistical risk of getting hurt. Having said that, Stockwell adn Oval tube stations are used by lots of his friends and we did have to go and pick him up on 7th July.