Taking tube to secondary school

The state school is not getting these results by teaching kids who are distracted. I honestly would go for the state school.

We’re in London too, zone 2. My DD will hopefully go to our local state school which has worse results and probably 60 per cent of kids on free school meals. I wouldn’t want her travelling by Tube - dirty, huge levels of pollution... she’ll be much better off taking a 10mn stroll home. That’s if we get in!

OP, have you done the journey with your son already? How does he feel about it?

I went to school in Central London and did this everyday. I soon learned not to suffer fools and made sure I had sharp elbows for to ensure I got off at my stop everyday! Really helped with developing street smarts. My journey was often complicated by a station being closed and having to navigate other forms of public transport (without a smart phone) am very grateful for the confidence it gave me.

If he isn’t that motivated and easily distracted, then a comp with a very mixed intake might not be the greatest idea. I’d go with the private school and maybe get an au pair/nanny to look after him in the morning and on the way back.

If he went to the local state school could you use the private school money to enrich his education in other ways? The results sound fairly decent to me and London schools are comparatively well funded, although that could change.

Alternatively, are there any decent private schools in the other direction?

Choose the right school would be my opinion. Of all the things I would be worried about terrorism would not be one - My Granny did not want me to live in London because - terrorists ( IRA in those days - I am old)

The way I think about it is - if you look at the statistics if a man were handing out parcels with £1000,000 in them would you think you would get one - unlikely. So if something bad happens , also unlikely. ( I am not a mathematician and mty hold on probability is shaky - but London does not necessarily = dangerous per se ) Many of Ds's friends commuted on bus or tube to school. All doing fine.

If it's a choice between a good private school + tube or a good state school + walk/bike, I'd have a good long think.

I have a child at secondary in central London but we are lucky enough to live near so they take the bus. Short bus ride. Lots of their classmates take the bus and tube for hours.

I hate the idea of the pollution in the tube, plus terrorism risk (which I know is present everywhere).

But we are lucky enough to have got our child into an amazing secondary school a short bus ride away.

I think about the fact their classmates take the tube for hours all the time, and thank our lucky stars DC doesn't have to.

Sorry, long and convoluted post, but just wanted to give a Year 7 mum's perspective. I hate the tube (despite living in London for decades) and am so so glad DC doesn't have to.

You are also underestimating other students that will travel from your area. When DS started school in Y7 school offered a buddy list of others in the area in the same year but he didn’t need it, after the first week they already have buddies.
If you are really nervous about it you could do a couple of trial runs over the summer let him/you gain confidence.

DD's journey is ten minutes bus ride, a short wait, ten minutes on the tube, ten minutes walk. It takes her about 45 minutes door to door. She has honestly found it fine. Although she gets home later than her friends at local schools, she has enough time in the evenings to do homework, music practice and have a bit of time relaxing. If you think the school is better than the local option then I would not rule it out purely on the grounds of travel, personally. He will get used to it. I did a similar journey as a child and did not mind it a bit.

For DD, the journey is also an opportunity to get to know more people who are not in her teaching group - she has made some really nice friends just because they are on the train together.

Also as others have suggested, do some trial runs and always have an alternative route in mind (maybe by bus) should there be any travel disruption on the usual routes.

My DT’s have got the tube to school from age 7. They traveled with DH until they were 11 and then did the journey on their own although met friends on the way. Wasn’t a problem.

We know several children at CLSB and CLGS and Westminster Under - all travel in by tube, a couple by train and it does seem daunting at 11 but they quickly get used to it. Yours seems an easier journey than most if it truly is 35 minutes door to door. Problems can arise when they have a heavy school bag and then a heavy or unwieldy instrument or sports bag (or all three on one day which we are facing!). We have to help on those days. Can you/partner travel in with them initially until he gets used to the journey?

Loads of children commute to school by tube in London, not just private, there are faith schools that recruit widely too.
He's growing up in London, part of his education will be navigating the tube and buses around the city. He'll get really good at it - I did it for my secondary school, it's a great life skill.
The tube can be awful, but not usually for every single journey. He will probably find a few more from the school along the route too.
Do a few trial runs with him at the times he would be travelling, it might make you feel a bit better about it yourself.
I live in zone 4 and will certainly not be put off some of the central London schools we're looking at for DD because of the tube journey.

Not sure why it's obvious that it's a private school... State schools do exist in central London

Private schools in Central London don't have buses because they'd take three times as long - and there's the tube which is free, so parents wouldn't use them.
There are also state schools in Central London with wide admissions, especially the Catholic schools. I'm in z3 and half the kids are travelling 45 min to schools all over.

The kids mainly get trains just before the rush hour, but it's not really a problem.

I went from Muswell Hill to Oxford Street by bus and two Tubes for 7 years, OP (when I was in years 7-13). All absolutely fine - never had any trouble.

The private school can't be that much better if you are uming and ah-ing over the commute.

Or if you're still at the choosing stage (so not for this September) then you could look at schools further out. He'd be going the opposite way to everyone so it wouldn't be that busy.

Doesn't the school have buses? Independent schools generally have an extensive school bus network. He could do that for a year or two until he's older and you're happy with him taking the tube.

My DD is currently in Year 7, her journey involves taking the tube or train and then a bus. As she is my eldest and quiet and shy - I was on tenterhooks the first few days. She's met a bunch of children she travels with and not only to her school. It is by far the norm for secondary school children to travel at that time of day, I had no idea but my eyes have been opened. It's enabled her to become so independent to the point of knowing what to do if one bus / tube / train isn't working. It's not ideal having a 45-60 minute commute but at least it won't be a shock when she starts working in later life! Good luck on your choice of school

But his new classmates, and the children in the upper years, will generally be travelling a similar route, if not the same one.

Private schools in London take kids from much further away than your son will be travelling. He'll be more than fine.

After a couple of weeks, the journey won't even register.