Is it too much to let a child travel 50 minutes to school?

I know quite a few people who had a similar commute on two buses (bus into the centre of town and then a separate bus from the centre to near to their school). If 50 minutes is the maximum possible length of time it might take then it is okay. If it is the minimum then it isn't.

A while ago, St Paul's Girls' School said that girls had to live within a reasonable distance from the school and shouldn't travel for more than 50 minutes each way (so wouldn't consider any girl who would have to travel for longer). I think the Head said that sports team practice often started at 7:30am so a long commute would stop girls from fully taking part in school life.

Door to door air conditioned coach with lots of friends? Acceptable (just).
Public transport subject to crowding, cancellation etc.? Too much.

I'm another who travelled a long way on public transport to school. All my friends lived far away so weekends and holidays were lonely. I wouldn't choose the same for my kids.

In our area this ‘was’pretty common. A single form of transport being less stressful than multiple changes.

I think you have to consider the ‘new normal’ though and how in the short term your child will travel if public transport is severely restricted or unavailable. As a new Y7 without a peer group to travel with this could be quite stressful. Is there potential for car pooling or buddying up with someone if the usual transport options fail?

My DD (year 7) has a 50 minute each way bus journey - her school (State) is a much better option than the local alternative so we went for that. Around 50% of the kids in our village do similar journeys to surrounding grammars and independents.

So far, on balance we’re still comfortable with this. There have been instances of the bus breaking down and being late. After school clubs (she does one) are more of an issue and thanks to timing, she has to do three short train journeys to get home. I can’t say that I’ve not felt anxious about her doing this on her own & do spend a lot of this on the phone to her and tracking her every movement on a mobile phone app! She gets home at 4.45 on a normal day, 6pm on the after school club evening and has to get up in the morning at 6am. Homework has been piled on so far so it’s been a pretty full on time for her.

My advice would to be really weigh up the advantages of the school further away to the local school - if they aren’t significant then ask yourself if it’s going to be worth all the additional time. For my DD it is (she got a Music place & her school offer much in the Performing Arts area she likes) but it hasn’t come without cost for all of us! If you decide to go for it, do practice school runs, first with your DC and then let them do it on their own (with you physically stalking them!). Trains and buses do on a pretty regular basis not turn up on time or get cancelled. Print out timetables for them and you so you can look at alternative options quickly. Download train/bus apps on their phone & do download a tracking app on the phone (we use Life360 but there are other options) and give them a lot of mobile data.

My year 6 DD will travel 50min from September. 10 min drive from home to school bus stop, then 10 min wait, 30 min to the school by bus.

50 minutes is probably the maximum I'd consider, depending on the alternatives - eg if the school was much, much better than the closer ones.
The secondary school DS is starting in September (🤞) will be 25 minutes, but it's a super-selective grammar with no catchment, so children commonly do travel further. However, the school themselves say ideally it shouldn't be over an hour.

Not too far as long as he can get home if he wants to stay for clubs etc.

It really does depend on the child. Our eldest went to a local independent school, ten minutes by car, home soon after 4pm every day. Our youngest will be travelling much further, will have to leave the house by 6.40am each day, and will be home much later every day too; but it’s very much where she wants to go. It’s certainly been a dilemma for us, as she has a place at a good local grammar school ten minutes away. but a scholarship at an independent school that we feel would offer a much more rounded education. Sometimes the easiest option, is not necessarily the best one.

DD has been commuting to school in London since she was 5 - now 11. She'll do the same for secondary. It's about an hour and a half each way by train and tube.

She does loads of extra-curricular classes after school in London, and uses the hour on the train to do homework and reading or play games.

A good long stretch on one form of transport is much easier and less stressful than lots of interchanges.

It's always a bit tiring at the beginning of term when you are out of the routine, and dark mornings aren't our favourite thing, but she hasn't found it particularly difficult at all.

There are loads of secondary school kids for about 5 different schools on the same train as us, many doing a similar journey to ours.

When it came to secondary applications, I looked at our local options and the closest one still meant almost an hour on a bus due to the routes schedules. The one she's going to in September has no catchment so a huge geographical spread and it won't be the case that she's the only one not living locally.

Mainly it depends on the child - DD doesn't tire easily

DH used to get two buses two and from school, it would take about an hour each way, sometimes more depending on the traffic. He hated it and found it very tiring and reduced his leisure time in the evenings as he didn't get home til later and then had to go to bed early as he had to get up extra early. I think this is pretty common length of travel but it's certainly not a pleasant one. Many adults commute for that long to and from work but how many of them enjoy it? We are really looking to make housing choices where our children do not need to travel that long for school.

@SE13Mummy the nearest high school to be dd is 2.7 miles away and in and out of special measures. Where I live there are a handful of very good schools dd’s is outstanding and the rest get results of circa 40% decent GCSE grades.
I would love her to be able to walk to school but it’s not an option. She enjoys getting the bus though and socialising with her friends.

I wouldn’t ask my child to do it at the best of times. I’m not going to go back on public transport any time soon and I won’t ask my child to do it either.

As an adult I’d chose to work somewhere closer even if it meant a bit less pay, slightly duller job.

I’d send my child to a school they could walk to rather than a better school further away. However I have that luxury. The school might not be the best but it exists. Others don’t have an accessible school.

There is the normal but we are now in the new normal. 50 minutes by public transport is too much for me.

@AldiAiseleofCrap DD1 and many of her friends walk to school - they're in Y10.

She actually chose her school over the grammar she'd got a place at because of the shorter journey meaning she'd have more time to do hobbies etc. I get that not everyone has a school close enough to walk to but there's a lot to be said for having local friends and not being dependent upon forms of transport that are vulnerable to strikes, signal failure or other malfunctions.

Just catching up on this thread and remembered that at my son's school (private so no school buses) there were children who used to commute miles every day by public transport. One came from 35 miles away and the journey took about an hour and a half. Another from 60 miles away but the route was a bit more direct so didn't take as long. My walk to secondary school was 45 mins each way.

I would hate my children to have to spend all that time travelling.

Especially if covid is with us for the next year or so minimum.

I think it depends where you are. Lots of children who live very rurally are a 40-50 minutes from secondary school. Often though they are bussed in by the local authority school transport system. I wouldn’t be massively keen on public transport tbh

Not really. I went to a private school 45 mins away and my friends were from a good 1hr away.

The day to day commute to school was ok. But the meeting up with friends at the weekends and holidays were a PTA and the social aspect. Or if you wanted to go an after school club. Especially in later years where if you don't get home till 6 then homework. It was ok because everyone was in the same boat and it was accepted . Also, you tended to gravitate towards people who lived near you because we caught the same bus . Because when you have a 1hr 30 bus journey with them everyday you get to know them very well.

Way too long in my opinion. We had this choice for DS - 40/45 min commute via school bus or 10 minute walk to school. He chose the latter and never regretted it.

His friends who chose the further away school suffered with all the following:

• early morning/ late back - often in darkness in winter
• friends geographically spread out, so in holidays nobody to meet/see without travelling
• problems for parents - school meetings/ sport matches/ concerts/ picking up if late (dentist etc) or if ill at school. There are a surprising number of occasions you need to go to the school and if it is a 2 hour round trip that will fast become a pain!

Interestingly, a large number of my son's friends moved to the the more local school for Sixth Form (but then of course missed their old friends!)

Redsky- yes, though she is also a train geek so it’s that as well!

Two hours a day travelling is ten hours a week. That’s a lot.

Imagine how much homework or tutored lessons your dc could have had in that time instead.

Is the school really worth it?

Poor DC soaking wet sitting all day in wet clothes waiting for connections that don’t turn up, being late.

Is there any chance if a carpool with some other kids or something that could lessen the journey, even down to just a bus instead of a bus and train?

Only yesterday she told me she’s missing her commute

I would suggest that she's missing meeting friends and having a bit of independence and space, rather than the commute per se!

I’d say fine for the right school. Dd1 is in Y7 - has gone from a 10 minute walk to primary to a 50 minute (ish) tube journey with one change. Only yesterday she told me she’s missing her commute - she meets friends, does urgent homework, plays games on her phone and generally gets a bit of independence and space.

She does have to carry swim kit one day, and instrument another. But she has a locker at school, and instrument storage as necessary, so she can leave books, lacrosses stick etc there, and only bring home what she needs for that evening.

Doable, not great.

Better if there's a group of them on the same route because the travel can be social.

Rubbish if your child ends up being 'that' kid who comes from miles away from everyone else and is always late, tired and fed up before school has even started.

Does the child have good energy reserves? Lots of extra curriculars? Need a lot of downtime? Travelling with friends? Risk of traveling with bullies? Some would manage fine, for others it would be a strain. Personally I hate commuting and it's partly due to hating catching the bus to school when younger. What's the back up plan if it's too much?