To think DD should get the rail replacement bus

DD gets on at the end of the line - it’s the express bus via the motorway that took more than 2 hours this morning for her friend! No idea how they managed to take that long?!

Presumably many people that would usually commute by train are driving them selves, so more traffic on the motorway and within the town, so everything will be taking longer....

Given the college are aware and have sorted online work I can’t see why you would push yourself too much
perhaps a compromise on one to two days a week to fit in the timetable to see people as it can be isolating but other than that if work and attendance aren’t affected why would you put yourself through that journey

2hr 20 there and back on the bus plus transport each end ... thats 5 hours commuting time each day.

If they're offering the work online, she is motivated and doing it then I think its fine she stays at home.

If you're concerned can you drive her in some days to shorten the commute and work or do something there for the day?

I have a young man in my care at the moment struggling with the same issue. He usually gets the train which is usually 45 mins into the city then a twenty minute walk to his college. We’ve had no train service for two weeks now due to flooding. The rail replacement bus takes 2 hours in rush hour. And that’s if it even turns up. College have been very understanding and he’s keeping on top of work via online lessons (he’s not the only one having problems). So instead of adding potentially four hours into his already long day we are keeping things as they are. He’d be leaving here at 6:50 am and not getting home till 6:30pm else. I doubt there’s many people who’d be happy with four hours of travel each day. I’d just jet your dd carry on as she is till this weather improves.

bloody English weather urgh

by this point in year 13 she has probably largely completed the courses. Exams start in the summer term.

if college are aware and are setting work online and she is doing it then I wouldn’t be encouraging her to go in. Many places do study leave from Easter anyway.

So she has chosen the harder option and references working on the train. She is clearly pretty self motivated. The college are happy for her to work from home. Has she given you any reason to not trust her judgement on this? Is she mucking about at home instead of doing college work? Has she been getting low grades over the last couple of years?

Honestly, unless she's given you reason to believe her judgment is not to be trusted, I'd let her manage this her way. Almost 5 hours of commute is a hell of a thing, it's not surprising she wants to avoid it

Any chance of staying where the college is occasionally? The odd night with a family or college friend, even a travelodge or youth hostel and she could have a couple of days in college.

Exactly this!

Surely you didn't leave the entire decision to a 15yo when she opted to go to this 6th form?
And I assume that you considered the likelihood of the train not running at times as part of that decision?

To be travelling for what - 5hrs a day just for college is ridiculous. If she is a good student, keeping up with her work, and the college is providing that work, she surely has a better use for those 5 hours. Revision, sorting her notes, practice papers etc?

The college have said it’s fine, so it’s fine.

2h 20m to get in and potentially the same to get home again? Plus the drives?

I think you're entirely unreasonable to expect her to do that every day, when the college has made arrangements for students to do the work at home.

I think it’s a fair enough solution for the short term. Is there any indication from whichever rail company operates that line how long it’s anticipated to be out of action? If we’re talking longer than a couple more weeks I’d be trying to liaise with the college to see if other local parents could get together to charter a private minibus or a ride share arrangement. I also went to a sixth form college outside my home city and the “college experience” was a significant part of the transition and learning environment. Teenagers stuck at home in their bedrooms without the interaction with other students or their teachers, or any opportunity to socialise is much less than ideal.

I think if she's working at home and covering the work set, then I wouldn't make her waste her time sitting on a bus for 2+ hours

Having read your updates though, if the college are marking her as attending because she is doing the work, then she probably is better off doing it at home.

DD's tutors made it very clear to them that they could not ever authorise them to work at home, so I guess this is extraordinary circumstances so they are allowing it.

Who usually does the 10 min drive to the station, if it's her driving can't she drive all the way? If you would normally give her a lift to the station I'd consider driving her to college. It's partly down to your choice of where to live that she doesn't have a good local college to go to, so I'd feel some responsibility for that.

I've had to take rail replacement buses sometimes and they've been awful, literally waited for ages then not able to board at all because they send one bus to cater for a full train load.

I was going to say YANBU and she should be getting the bus not jusg skipping lessons. However, you more recent update changed my mind. The college are aware of the bus issues and have given permission for students impacted to do the work online. Yes she could technically attend with the bus unlike the students further down the line but 2hrs there does seem horrific. Provided she is actually studying and doing all the work then let her “take advantage” of the easier weeks without commuting until the trains are back. It’s horrible weather so she’d likely benefit from not having to commute. Obviously if ther was anything specific she needed to go in for that wouldn’t be as easy to study alone at home she should go in those days.

So that's 2h20 + travel both ends . I would be working at home if there was a reasonable option to do so (which it sounds like it is) as well. All very well saying she chose the longer travel option, but she didn't choose this journey.
Have the rail company given any indication as to when trains will be running again (I think it makes a different whether it is "sometime this week" or "several weeks time")

Is there any option for someone to take her in (perhaps parents could ferry a few student and take it in turns) or prioritise maybe going in one or two days a week only?

2 hours to get to college?
She should definitely work from home.

If the college are happy and she's keeping up with course work, personally I would see it as the equivalent of WFH and not make a big deal out of it.

I would expect DD to be in her room studying quietly though and not socialising or gaming etc.

I think as long as she is doing the work she is fine. Such a long bus journey sounds dire.

This sounds like our local trainline, currently in its 3rd week of closures due to flooding. Our station is 45 mins from the city. YANBU - Your DD should be taking the replacement bus where possible. I know it isn't easy though, this week due to the main road closure, they have 1 smaller bus going through the villages and another bus going from the town to the city on the other main road/motorway with no stops.

My DD has a college bus pass, not a rail pass as I won't drive to the station every day when she can walk down the road and get the bus to college. Her commute is meant to be 1 hour 15 mins, but is often at least 1.5 hours.

She manages to work on the bus. The other day the bus was late , (the bus is often late), and she signed into a Teams lesson on the bus and worked until she got to college.

Lots of college students live in halls.