How close do you live to the school you work at?

[DreamingOfYou14]

Hi this is my first post on MumsNet. I joined because, firstly, I'm newly pregnant, but secondly I saw that there is this section of teachers.

I am a primary school teacher (Year 2). The school I work at is on a new estate which is a lovely estate with a lake and some hand made pools. We are needing to move house because of the new baby and a wonderful house is for sale, overlooking one of these pools. It's a 5 minute walk to the school I work at. I am worried that it's a bit close as I'll be living near, if not next door, to the children I work with and their parents.

What do you think?

[MercuryRising]

Welcome to mnet Dreamingofyou I will be watching this thread with interest as I am beginning to look for NQT jobs for September so will be interested to see how far is a realistic distance to travel.

[2kidsintow]

I live a few miles away, so a ten minute drive on a busy morning. I'm sometimes jealous of the chap that strolls into work from home in a relaxed manner most days. However, I like not living too close to the children I teach. I can bump into them at the shops/supermarket etc, but don't tend meet any when I go around and about in my own town.
Suits me.

[clam]

10-15 minute drive. Wouldn't want to live in the actual village I teach in though, but it's nice being reasonably close and knowing the area.

[fatcheeks1]

At the moment I work in a school about a 10 min drive away.It's nice and local but not too local.I know I won't be bumping into any of the children/mums when I'm shopping as it's a neighbouring borough.The families tend to shop more locally to them(we have a lot of supermarkets around here).

[PatTheHammer]

I have a 20 minute commute to mine and tbh it's a nightmare. In busy traffic it can be nearer 40.

When I was young and single I didn't mind the commute, but now when I leave work I just want to be home as quickly as possible and the commute feels like wasted time.
However, I still encounter lots of pupils and parents as we are in a rural area and as soon as you have any life outside of school in a rural area you realise it's a small world.

If I could move to 5 mins away I would in a heartbeat, not least because its a really good school and my children would then be in the catchment. I dream of walking to work and loads of my colleagues do live local to the school and send their children there.

I'm secondary by the way and yes, it would be different if the school wasn't lovely!

[MrsYoungSalvoMontalbano]

2 mins in car ('cos lots of marking!) or 5 mins walk. Luckily I live 'upstream' of my pupils who come from the other side of the school, so do not see them , although did encounter a temp excluded pupil and his mum this week in Sainsbos He came up to and said - 'Miss, can I introduce you to my mum?'. Luckily was able to have a productive chat with the mum in the frozen food section (whilst thinking about what might be in my trolley - luckily no jumbo sized packs of raspberry flavoured condoms )

[PatTheHammer]

Mrsyoung

Loads of my ex pupils work in my local supermarkets. I usually end up on their tills when buying bog roll, tampons or Just alcohol on its own. I don't realise until its too late and they're serving me.

[HarrietSchulenberg]

When my DS1's nursery teacher lived 4 doors down from us, DS1 used to pitch camp at the top of his slide to get a better view of what his teacher was up to in the privacy of his own garden.

I didn't realise what he was doing until he started giving me a running report at high volume. "MUUU-UUUUM, Mr Xxxxxxxx is in his garden." Pause. "He's drinking BEER." Pause. "In his VEST. MUUU-UUUM, HE'S WEARING JUST HIS VEST".

Just something to consider ...

[QueenofLouisiana]

7minutes drive, door to door. About 15 minutes with a breakfast club drop off for DS. I meet pupils regularly- at Cubs/ swimming etc, but it is now so common that most are used to it and the parents tend to leave me in peace.
It was a bit awkward when DS became best mates with a child from my school, but we've kind of got over that now.

[BabyMummy29]

I live a 5 minute walk from the school I teach in, which was where I went as a child and my own children went.

I suppose it can be a bit annoying when you're minding your own business shopping or going to the gym etc and you get "Hello Mrs Babymummy" and feel there's no escape from it, but that's just part of living in a small town.

[colander]

About 15 mins drive for me, but my sil is also a teacher and she lives in the middle of the catchment area for her primary school and says it isn't a problem.

[JonSnowKnowsNothing]

2 miles. Nice relaxing drive, but walkable if the roads are bad.
I do see the kids in tesco/town/the pub but it's fine. Laughing at harriet! poor chap!
I had similar when two of my Polish kids saw me and a colleague having a beer in the sunshine. "Miss, you drink beer! We tell, we tell!"

[DreamingOfYou14]

Thank you for reassuring me. We saw the house today and I'm in love.

[butterflyroom]

45mins drive. Longer in winter. Can be hard and heavy on petrol but I've done it for over a decade! Love my privacy.

[Halfrek]

half an hour, 10 miles. Great for me as I don't see any kids around. I live in the city and commute out to one of the satellite villages. Just wish I had to spend less on petrol.

[PenguinBear]

10 minute drive, sometimes less depending on traffic :) Its's great as I am close and can nip home in my lunch hour if needed but not so close that I see them all in the holidays although my dc love seeing children from my class and I do too

[YoullNeedATray]

I'm a 5 min walk from my school. I lived here long before I changed career into teaching. It's one of those villages where everyone knows everyone else and I love being part of that. I see parents everywhere and it's all fine. We never close for snow because so many staff live within walking distance :-)

[FourArms]

I live 30 mins from a school with a large catchment (selective) so haven't seen a child out of school yet. However I trained in a school less than a mile away. It was fine apart from occasionally feeling concerned that a tricky pupil might scratch our car or something after being given a detention. Nothing happened :)

[cricketballs]

10 mins drive - there arn't any who go my school that live local; however there are some that live near BIL and I often get your xxxx's Aunt! Also because my DS are heavily involved in cricket their club has a couple of members whom I teach - but apart from one of them it is fine (they see me with a drink, a cigarette etc) but they realise that this is home life and school is a different situation (I do work in secondary).

The funniest is those student's who are not used to seeing you outside of school and you bump into in the supermarket - Monday morning all you hear is "I saw you shopping Miss, hehehehe"

Pat - I have that as well - the lovely thing about it is though one ex-student always asks my DH where I am and if I am shopping he fills me in with what he is doing now so proud when he told me he had graduated from the local uni, especially given how hard he had to work

[Uptheanty]

No problems for me & I bump into the children almost everyday.

They go from excited to amazed... They think I live in the school.

I have bought fruit when I went for beer though!

Got to keep up appearances.

[WhenASuitcaseJustWontDo]

I live in catchment, about 5 minutes walk away. Next door neighbour is a gran of a child I taught, child in my class lives opposite, as well as numerous others. I was worried beforehand, but now I really like it as I got an instant community. Yes, the children will be fascinated to begin with but they get used to you 'not living actually in school'! Only thing is Halloween, we go through more than 100 sweets with my pupils trick or treating!

[Kayakinggirl86]

As a NQT lived 12 miles away but was still in catchment (very rural area). Saw children and parents all the time and hated it!
Now live 17 miles away from school (drive through 2 different counties to get to work) in the south of England so very far out of catchment and constantly get comments about how far away I live and do I not thinking about moving closer as mist staff live in the village. Nope I like having my home and school life seperate!