Is it horrible to make ds walk

Oh lord no. Not with a SEN child.
A 40mins walk there AND back for you in the pissing down rain / wind / snow soon. Even if he can change at school, what a miserable way to start to the day.

Then you have to do it all over again at home time. You will be doing almost 3hrs of walking every day, in the worst weathers we have soon.
What happens if he needs collecting in an emergency? That's another 40mins of traipsing up to the school or will you have money for a taxi?
I'm forever grateful i have a driving licence and a car. I remember my mum always having to negotiate and navigate travel to / from school because she couldn't drive and I hated it.

I haven’t said it does

@MiddleAgedDread I'm guessing from your username that you're 40-plus, as am I, and sadly, our energy levels aren't the same as healthy preteens/teenagers!

My DS (17) does cross-country and the team generally runs about six miles Monday-Friday and then a solo run over the weekend. Yesterday he had a race in the morning and then went swimming with friends. I thought he'd be too tired to go swimming, but they're full of beans at that age!

Possibly, but that doesn’t make her horrible for choosing to walk with her child instead of take a vehicle.

He is eleven and has special needs and it’s dark in winter? It’s not really the same as a grown adult walking for 40 minutes, as we should all be doing.

Also sen kids are more prone to burnout from being in school. I don’t think it sounds fair on him at all. I lived quite a distance from school so I know what it’s like to have to walk a long way in the dark in winter and 11 is still young even without the other considerations.

I think some or most days it'll be ok walking, but what about days when he's tired, has a cold, it's bad weather? It'll feel like a very long day for him.

You need to be able to take the bus with him. It would be potentially be horrible to make him walk there and back every single day.

Yes as a full sentence

If he's starting at SEN school doesn't he get transport provided for him? That would be easier as there would be chaperones on the bus and less people and you wouldn't need to go.
Having said that 40 minutes should be absolutely fine. My autistic 6 year old will happily go on a walk twice that long so if you think DS can do it why not? If he finds it too much you'll obviously have to rethink but try it and at the same time have a look and see if he's entitled to school transport.

A 40 min walk before and after school sounds fine to me, probably good for you both to get some steps / daylight in and it provides an opportunity to chat to him. Make the most of the time together and look at all the positives it brings.

40mins is quite a way, not too bad in this weather, but in rain or snow he would be soaked by the time he gets to school.

My walk to work is 40min and whilst it’s quite manageable, I wouldn’t want to do it twice a day every day! Some days I’m tired, the weather is terrible, my bag is too heavy etc etc and I just want to get the bus,

a 40 minute walk isn’t too bad at all. It might be a bit miserable if the weather is bad. I walk my very small kids 20 mins each way to nursery. It’s more of a hassle waiting for the bus etc. I think you need to work towards him getting the bus on his own. Or could you walk there and get the bus back as a compromise. Or cycle/scoot?!

It’s not fair on your son to have to walk so far, especially in winter and especially with additional needs.

@Ilovemsrachel I agree that it's not on in bad or v. cold weather, but a 40-minute daily walk is healthy for an 11-year-old, many children don't get enough exercise. I'm guessing it's probably two miles or so.

Many people, myself included, try to do 10K steps a day for health, that's four-five miles for adults.

Sounds fine at 11 if he has no physical difficulties.

How far is it in miles?

Mine walks 30 mins each way every day and has done since age 11.
Have you tried walking it? It’s often a bit shorter if there are cut throughs for pedestrians.

I would echo PP and say it is excellent for health!

Likewise in our area, buses are unreliable so 40-50 min walk to secondary is normal round us. Kids send far less time being active these days so having a good walk every day is really healthy for them.

It’s great that you are seeking help for your anxiety! What is it about a packed bus that makes you so scared? Is it the people? Or is it an irrational fear of eg terrorism? Is it PTSD? Make sure you are getting the right kind of therapy and are combining it with medication. It’s not fair on your son to have to walk so far, especially in winter and especially with additional needs.

You can get better with the right treatment. I know because I have been there and am now completely cured.

Sports kit? Change into his tracksuit bottoms

From 12, I cycled 4/14 miles to school most days. If the weather was bad, I took the bus, but I preferred cycling tbh.

As long as he doesn't have any physical disabilities, I think a 40-minute walk would be fine - or you could both cycle to speed it up?

I think you should go on the bus in bad weather though, it's not fair for him to arrive at school wet through.

When I was 12 I used to walk to school which took about the same amount of time. I did it so I could save my 8p a day bus fare. I walked home most days too

My son on a nice day walks the 50 mins to school, if he wants to get there quicker he cycles
Ive offered him bus fare and he chooses to make his own way there and keep the bus fare.
On our estate most of the kids walk or cycle to the secondary schools, the nearest is a 40 minute walk, the others are a similar walk in the opposite direction, none are closer by. They seem to walk/cycle in groups even when raining.