How long is your teenagers commute to college / 6th form?

Ten minute walk. It's one of the reasons he chose to stay at his current school, and one of the reasons we bought the house we have. I think it's easy to underestimate the impact of a long daily commute, especially with a heavy homework load.

30 mins in the car. Day starts at 8:30 and finishes 4pm.

My daughter used to set off at 7.10am to ensure she got there for 9am, the public transport times didn’t align very well, but she was doing performing arts (so was physical all day too) and that’s where she wanted to go.

Sometimes that’s just how far it is. For 16-18 here there is one school option 30 minute walk, or one college, 30 minute walk, plus 40 minute bus, plus 10 minute walk. Or much less time in a car, but impacts parents ability to work.

That’s good. Hopefully he’ll adapt to the commute pretty soon. Not just the extra time it takes but also a new journey is perhaps likely to have some tension associated, versus a familiar one.

I live rurally and some children at my DC school travel up to 2 hours each way. From age 11.

Half an hour walking, there and back. He's not complaining about it anyway 🍀

Only a 10 min walk now. His secondary school was 45 mins bus each way. He was tired at the start of year 7 but soon got used to it.

Mine had a 1 hr 25 minute journey on the bus. So nearly THREE hours round trip. It took 15 minutes in the bloody car. 🙄(30 minutes round trip obvs!)

So I always took them. Fortunately I was able to as I had a car, and flexible/part time working hours - still do. (This was 12-13 years ago.)

fifteen min drive. DD has health issues and so I drive her to school, then park up at train station near school and go to work. Some days she comes home on bus - as it’s downhill to the bus stop so that’s do-able. Otherwise I try and take a late lunch and pick her up. She is doing 4 A levels and has University admissions tests to apply for. 1hr each way isn’t too bad, like any commute it takes some getting used to when new to it.

Around 30 mins walk/ bus - London

About an hour and twenty minutes. It’s a bit of a niche course at an agricultural college, hence the long journey. We have two really good sixth forms in our town, either of which he could have cycled or got the bus to, but he chose this one! In Y12 he was getting the college bus which took 1hr 20 (but sometimes much longer if the roads were bad or it had snowed) and cost about £35 a week for three return trips. He passed his driving test in the summer holidays so is now driving there, it takes almost as long as the bus- quicker by 10-15 mins if he’s lucky, but he prefers it and it’s cheaper.

Ds is doing four a-levels, so he's in each day and not much spare time in each of them. It just is what it is.

Both my sons chose the same college. For my eldest our local college didn't do his A- levels and for my middle son our 2 local colleges didn't offer the best sports course. Hence the 50 minute travel each way in a good day.

An hour and 15 minutes, 15 minutes walking at either end. It’s really not an issue unless you have ferried them everywhere.

20-25 minute walk, maybe 25-30 if at the other building.

Our high school was 5 mins away, and all on ground level, the college has a lot of stairs, so she's complaining it's a lot!😆

It depends on the time of day. My daughter has just started a 6th form college and when she has to be there for 9am, it’s 50 minutes in the car. At quieter times it’s 25 minutes.

it varies but usually a minimum of 90 mins each way…each day is different which is even more frustrating. Today was up at 5.45am, out the house at 6.30am dropping her 20 mins away on the bus route (this avoids multiple buses). Bus takes 1hr 10, then a 10 min walk at the other end, and that’s on a day where her first lesson is 9am. The later bus won’t get her there in time (only one per hour).

coming home she averages arrival at the bus stop between 5pm and 6pm. A lot of it is the ‘one bus per hour’ again - she can often finish a lesson but narrowly miss a bus so she has to hang about in college almost a whole hour.

it does feel like very long, tiring days and she more often than not has to stand all the way too.

It feels like a rush for us getting everyone up and out to leave at 7.50.

It genuinely would be tricky losing 2hours a day to commuting. Both energy wise and time wise. I've never regularly commuted rhat far to work so its quite a foreign concept even though I know people do catch buses from further afield to get to my children's 6th form!

(ETA - were an autistic family if that makes a difference so maybe need that period to wind down before starting homework more? No idea. I think sooo many adults prefer wfh in order to take commuting out of the day it must be knackering for many kids. Especially with homework and study on top. Or if they work at the weekend. I realise it isn't a choice for many - I'm genuinely feeling lucky for my kids as they're tired as it is!)

15 mins by bike. Both of mine stayed on at their high school, which has a decent sixth form and they didn’t feel any need to change for A levels.

45 minutes, 10 minutes by car then 35 minutes on the bus. But he’s been doing that since year 7.

Dd2 has just turned 17 and is in her 2nd year. 7 min drive to station (some days leaving house at 7.30am), 12 min train journey, waiting for a bit then 5 min second train (obvs frequently delayed/cancelled ie lots of hanging around). Then 5 min walk to college. Generally at least an hour each way on a good day.

We are in Devon, she picked the best choice for her but the only other state option (where dd1 went) would have been an hour each way on unreliable buses given the traffic, so no better.

She had her first driving lesson yesterday - all the hanging around and being let down focuses their minds to learn.

She is also knackered but has always been sensible about taking herself off to bed to be able to get up with lots of whinging in the mornings.