Tiffin Kingston School Transport?

Hi, My daughter got admission in Tiffin Girls this year. I am just looking for taxi from Heston. If anyone knows someone who can share taxi.

I don't think it would do their credibility many favours - I don't know of one child in dd's year who didn't get public transport or the school bus if they lived in a transport black hole. They make friends on transport, dd has her train posse, it means they make local friends too.

The train is heaving with school children. It's led to some interesting character building journeys when the transport has failed, including one last year where 10 of them walked across Richmond Park in the snow for 2 hours, stopping for snowball fights and hot chocolate along the way! They love the freedom and it's the right time to give it to them IMO.

Most primary schools encourage walking to school with a friend in Y6 or summer of Y5 so that by the time they start secondary they are confident. If you haven't done this already it might be an idea to start (you can always stalk from a distance at first

Here you go

Checklist when considering a car share:

• How much do you really know about this parent from a child safeguarding point of view? (Remember, anyone working with children, e.g. bus drivers for the school service, must have a current DBS form.)
• How much do you really know about their driving skills? Have you seen their insurance and car roadworthy details? (Remember that public transport and dedicated school services are required to have these, to a high level.)
• How would you cope if your child fell out with the other children in the car pool, or wanted to do different after school activities, or didn't want to stay after school when the other children were staying late?
• How would you cope if one of the other car pool parents had their car break down, or off the road for some other reason, at short notice?
• What if it's your turn to drive, and you or your child is sick?
• What if the other family turns out to be unreliable, or the driver/their child is regularly late, or ill?
• What if the other child moves to a different school?
• What if one child needs to stay after school for an activity or event?
• What if the driver smokes when driving?
• What if the driver's conversation turns out to be objectionable or age inappropriate?

It's on the 11+Forum I believe, @woodlanddreamer!

Somewhere I've seen a useful list of things to consider if you are thinking of lift-sharing with strangers but I can't remember where it was. Has anyone else seen it?

Greaterthan6 I have pm ed you. Would like to discuss travel buddy/ lift share if you still would. I have older children at secondary and know about all the above advice from posters already..but it will still be very useful to get intouch. At the Tiffin induction day thing, may not be a chance.

My DC went to Tiffin - it seemed like a huge step to go by public transport after the gentle walk to primary school, but luckily a friend’s 6th former discretely over saw the first few days. Travel friendships were very quickly made and it all seemed very normal very quickly. The buses and trains are just full of zigzagging secondary children at that time of day and they are perfectly safe. School run mums are not a thing at any of those Kingston schools, except for maybe late sport/ rehearsal pick ups. A taxi from somewhere like Whitton or Twickenham would be looked on by the other pupils as peculiar, frankly .

my dds go to a very nearby school and do a similar journey to the one you talk about.

i was asked about taxi shares / lift shares etc by a number of people before we started, particularly those coming from areas like Isleworth which is further and doesn't have a direct train/bus.

NONE of these people went through with the taxi / lift share plan.

Anyway look into it, try the journey - try and do it on a school day at the right time - and you will see what we are all saying.

Also the ds you have today will be a very different one in 6 months time. They mature/grow up/become independent very quickly once they start secondary school.

Anyway as the saying goes "your monkey, your circus" - do what you want !

Like Newmodel my DC have never been ferried to school (apart from 6.30 starts for sports training). I am also a working mum - that's why I encourage them to be self sufficient and take responsibility for their own journeys (local school, public transport)) I simply don't need another aspect of their lives to worry about.

The advice you've received is meant kindly from others who've been thorough similar experiences- which is after all what Mumsnet is at its best.

You are free to take it on board or not but please don't cast aspersions at those who have tried to help you.

Mumsnetters are many things (including forthright) but hypocrisy is generally something they cannot be accused of (in response to your rather snide comment).

The advice on this thread may not chime with your own world view but I think you'll find it's perfectly sound and not so very different from what posters say on other forums too.

My children have never done a car 'school run' in their lives either now that they're older, or when they were at primary school. They have been finding their own way to secondary school (one to a super-selective) since week 1, on foot and bus. And both have a 'commute' that has them leave home at 7.30am (ish), although at local(ish) schools.

Hook your DS up with a travel buddy or two and they'll be fine on public transport. Ask the question (about taxi shares) at your DS's Tiffin induction event for parents and I'll sure you'll get a response from the SLT which is more akin to most of the comments on this thread than your own views.

Thanks. Makes sense.

All- all I asked for was if anyone was interested in a taxi share. The bombardment of negative comments is simply ludicrous and shows that many individuals have nothing better to do. I bet many are stay at home mums that drop their kids to school whilst giving grief to other parents that want the same!
Give me a break and only respond if you are interested. Quite frankly I dont have time to read the negative backlash!!

Your sons won't thank you for it.
They'll be laughed out of the place, Twickenham to Kingston by taxi is quite frankly ridiculous. (unless you have a broken leg...)

At DS's super-selective I recall comment made by the SLT on encouraging the boys learning to be self-sufficient (using public transport). All part of the process of transferring to secondary school and growing up. Children need to learn how to become 'streetwise' to avoid danger.

Additionally, you are doing nothing to help the environment by commandeering another car to be on the roads on the 'school run'.

So sending an 11 year old in a car with strangers is safer than sending them on public transport, in the rush hour, with lots of other pupils? I heard one of the Tiffin schools had had issues with rogue, unlicenced minibus drivers, so watch out for that in a lift share.

Greaterthan6

We are interested in taxi share to Tiffin Boys from Twickenham/Whitton. Will pm you about it. Our son starting next Sept...( well actually end of August as they start hit early)

I know it is scary sending a barely 11 year old off on public transport on their own. Many parents accompany their dcs the first few days.
I would urge you to do this - you will soon see he will be travelling in a swarm. The 281 is full of Surbiton High, KGS and Tiffin boys. Absolutely packed with them. As is the train - the walk to and from Kingston Station round to Tiffin is a mass of blazers and hockey sticks. It is probably one of the safest places imo - very central, very busy. Safety in numbers and all that... No dark alleys or quiet roads/lanes.
Even back from the Tiffin playing fields is a mass of boys walking up to Hampton Court to get on the R68/111/216 buses.

HTH.

Agree with sandybayley that many incidents get misreported. Stranger danger has always existed but is there any evidence that abductions are on the rise? I suspect not. I think that because of social media and 24/7 news we are just more aware than ever of every 'incident' at a localised level in a way that we weren't in the pre-digital age.

I would hope that any secondary school aged child with 'nous' would be sufficiently savvy to avoid such a scenario.

I note that The Green School for Boys isn't in Kingston. Is it at your end of the bus route? A solution would be initially to walk your DC to the bus/train to ensure they get on the train safely (until such time as you feel confident of their abilities to fend for themselves and navigate the route successfully). As previously noted, Tiffin is so central and close to transport hubs (with members of staff and Transport Police presence too at times) that it's surely safe?

And agree that if you're not happy with your DC doing the journey on public transport why not send them to a school very close to home instead?

Was there really an 'attempted abduction'? What's your source?

I'm afraid that incidents can get misreported or exaggerated. Were the police involved?

There is a tendency for local social media and playground gossip to whip up hysteria about this kind of thing. Police stats suggest it is incredibly rare.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 - what you have said makes sense. Worried as many crimes do not get reported publicly. There was an attempted abduction near The Green School for Boys yesterday- involved an 11 year old.

Life is full of risks and I don't think it serves children well to be wrapped in cotton wool, particularly once they're at secondary school. And they run the risk of being made fun of by their peers for being 'babied'.

Tweens and teens are probably more at risk in a car than finding their own way. And Kingston isn't renowned for being a hot bed of crime (except for certain night clubs in the wee small hours of the morning).

There is more of a risk of passing on your fears to your DC and in turn making them anxious/nervous which may potentially mark them out as targets (if that makes sense) by criminal elements.

Tiffin Boys School is really central and so close to the railway and bus stations (and Kingston Grammar School) that there would scarcely be any opportunity for anything 'untoward' to happen.

Another London parent of secondary school age children here. They 'buddy up' with other local children at their schools to travel with.

I don't think he's very likely to be the victim of knife crime or abducted on the 281 at rush hour. Seriously, hundreds of children are travelling to school across London on buses and trains and tubes at that time in the morning. My two children have travelled to and from school for 13 years between them and neither of them has ever been abducted or threatened with a knife. Nor have any of their friends.

Are you going to send him by taxi for the next 7 years?

Seriously you need to get him used to the journey by public transport over the summer and get him used to it. If he can't manage it then you should be looking for a school he can get to on his own.

Speaking as a fellow London parent....

Its not a question of getting used to public transport, my children certainly are uses to public transport, but travel with an adult. The reason I have asked the question is because of safety. If you dont live in London, then you wouldn't hear of regular knife and abduction attempts made on secondary school age children. Of course I know public transport may be faster and I know what buses/trains travel to kingston having lived here all my life. But I would rather not take any unnecessary risks in my opinion as his parent!
I am looking for others who are like minded not those who have their own opinions!

As someone who had to relocate outside of London before having children, I can't understand how there are people living in a place where even secondary age children travel on the buses for free, whose children don't get used to using public transport as soon as they are able to walk