Is google maps more accurate or is the department more accurate on distances from home to school

[Fizzypop001]

Hi my dd is starting primary school next year and was checking the distance from home to school on google maps only to find when I went on the department for education website to check the primary school found that it gave me a totally different distance could anyone tell me who's more accurate

[DameEnidsOrange]

I would disregard google maps on the basis that some distances are worked out as the crow flies, whereas others are safest walking route.

I think the LA use very sophisticated mapping systems to calculate it

[prh47bridge]

Google Maps measures from the centre of your postcode (which may be some distance from your home) to the centre of the school's postcode (which may be some distance from the point used by the LA for measuring distance. The same is true for all online systems. Some will give you the straight line distance, others will give you the quickest walking or driving route.

Your LA will use a system that calculates the distance from your home to the school very accurately. Anything you find online should be used only as a guide as it will be much less accurate. And if you are using an online tool, make sure you check that it measures distance the same way as your LA. Some LAs use straight line distance, some use shortest walking route.

[Fizzypop001]

Prh47bridge what do you mean straight line walking distance and shortest walking route would have thought all LAs would use shortest walking route

[Fizzypop001]

I'm on the border of Hounslow and whitton but applying for schools in whitton which is in Richmond upon Thames do you know what they use to calculate distance is it straight line or shortest distance

[SavoyCabbage]

She means that some LEA's measure as the crow flies. It's up to the LEA how they do it. It will say on your LEA's website which method they use.

And some measure from front door and some from the centre of the building so even that can make a difference. It is very accurate because it has to be.

[Fizzypop001]

Thanks for that will look

[NickL]

Download Google Earth. You can measure distances extremely accurately using the path tool.