Do you pick yr DC up from secondary? In the car?

Ds1 has just started Yr7 today and has used public transport. He could walk (about 20mins) He will also get the bus home.

DS walks home.

DD will as soon as she can cope with the twats who mount the kerb to park at school and generally kill anything/anyone in their way so that they can park right by school.

Ironic that the thing preventing her from walking to school on her own is the appalling attitude and driving of the other parents at her school(and the one next door)
[fuckers]

The buses where we are don't run if there are only year 7s in, so no choice but to pick them up (unless we want dd crossing a motorway!).

Now the rest of the school are back she gets bus home. We give her a lift there in the morning though as the alternative is her leaving the house at 7.15 - which is a step too far at the mo

No- ds gets bus home- about a 10 minute ride.
He did phone me at 5 yesterday after football practice to say the next bus wasn't due for 10 minutes and could I pick him and his friends up- the answer was no.

No, our DCs walk home and have done since day 1. Its about 30 minutes. The traffic round school is difficult though if ever I do have to pick them up for a special reason such as a GP appointment straight after school. Rarely do this though as I'm keen to worsen the traffic and usually I'm at work anyway.

i used to as ds's school was miles away, the buses were imo dangerous as they just jammed the kids in like sardines, oh and ds was badly bullied.

My Y11 DS said to me that he couldn't believe how many parents were picking up their Y7 children now. He doesn't remember it being like this in other years.

I quite agree with you. Children now need to be independent. My children walked over a mile to school from Y5, with main roads, penguin crossings, zebra crossings, etc. It's good for their development.

Yes. Too far to cycle (about 12 miles, takes about an hour each way, though the dc have done this very occasionally). No public transport. School bus is very expensive (especially x2) and dh or I (usually both) have always worked close to the school so we've mostly been able to combine drop-offs and pick ups with journeys to/from work rather than making a special journey. Dd has changed school this term & she now cycles (about 4 miles each way). I think she likes the independence, but it's not uncommon to be driven at either school as many children travel longer distances and in ruralish areas the public transport isn't great.

DS is on the train and walking with his friend. He is very excited by his lndependence
I'm not bunging up the road!!

I have picked up both my kids on first day in year 7. They normally bus or walk or bike it. Unless we have a special reason or they have to stay extra late, then I might give them a lift. Some get lifts all the time, but I assume they live somewhere inaccessible, have activities to get to or SN (one boy is deaf and I understand his mother's worry). Oh and I knew one girl who was being threatened by another, so used to be picked up.

However schools I've worked in always have lots of cars picking up after school. (Don't try to leave by car between 3 and 4, is usually the advice.)

Well if only yr 7s have started back would they bother putting on school buses for so few?

It's a load of Primary mummies going through a painful transition. It will pass :D

My DD asked me to pick her up today because she didn't enjoy the bus y'day (she has to get 2 buses home on her own) ... I said she should try again today so she's doing it again on her tod ... give us a break clary, most of them have only just started doing this for themselves and they need to get used to it ... only the first week!! ;) In a week or two, I'm sure they won't want us anywhere near the school gates!

I did yesterday but only because it was his first day.
I have offered him bus fare money but he said he would prefer to walk unless the weather is really bad. He's a little claustrophobic like me so the idea of a packed out bus doesn't really appeal to him. Its only a 45 minute walk (at slow 11 year old pace) or 30 minutes for the average human.