11 year old getting bus to school

If you have a local facebook group, you could ask on there if there are any other children near you who make the same journey?
Someone did this on our village FB just yesterday, to find out how other children in the village get to the school her DD will attend in September.

@Chizem

Hi try the route in Summer and let your dc get used it.

Also download Life 360 it was a life saviour for me!! I was able to track to and from school and I wasn't a nervous wreck in Autumn!

My 11 year old does this, she also goes to the cinema, bowling, arcade, park, shops etc with friends. They started during the summer when she was about to go to year 6 and carried on. If you have not allowed her much time on her own yet I would build it up.
Don't worry about getting used to the bus, take her on the route a few times beforehand. Embarrassingly mine had only been on a bus about twice (we cycle/use tram a lot but I hate buses!). I gave mine a talk about not going upstairs, and sitting near the driver. She hasn't had any trouble and has made her best friends on the bus.

Yes - all of mine did it, they made travel buddies very quickly. I do remember being nervous with my first too though… we did a few test runs. First DC then chaperoned her younger sibling 2 years later for about 2 weeks when they got fed up off each other and by then he had made his own travel buddy friends.
When the new Year 7s start at their schools they look out for them too.

Make sure she knows that road bus stops are on both sides of the road and not necessarily opposite each other, so the place you get off isn't the place to wait to get on for the return.

A previous poster is correct to point out that with high schools there are swarms of kids going in all directions.
Ours is almost 2000 kids. Therefore bus routes in all directions are busy with kids. She won't be on her own

As you say - trial runs over the summer. Talk about what to do in different scenarios if things go wrong. Eg what to do if the bus doesn't turn up or is late, if the bus breaks down en route and the driver kicks everyone off, there's an RTA and the bus can't get through or turn around so it's stuck (all of these happened to my DS) or if she's being hassled by someone on the bus or the local drunk gets on and sits next to her! (I remember the very 1st time I put DS on a public bus service to get home from town 12 miles away as I had to go to a meeting - there was a drunk man at the bus stop with a carrier bag full of booze who was catching the same bus!). Just go through the 'what to do if' and she'll be fine - she's got a phone so she can ring you if she has any problems.
I caught the public bus to school from the age of 9 (middle school) without the benefit of a mobile phone - in fact we didn't have a landline until I was 13 so couldn't have phoned home anyway.
But Secondary school is definitely the time youngsters around here catch the bus although it's one bus and a 20 minute journey.

Bear in mind also that once she starts school, there will be lots of kids on the bus making the same journey. She won't be alone. Does she know anyone who will be making the same journey?
DD buddied up with someone she was friends with from a club who was going to be at the same school.
Bus journey is now a favourite part of DD's day as she hangs out with friends and listens to music on the bus.
One tip I would have though - prepare her for the occasions it might go wrong, like missing a bus or getting on the wrong bus. Give her some strategies of how to ask for help.

My daughter is doing a trail bus run today! She’s also 11 and is used to me driving and collecting her but had car issues this week and the walk to school would be over an hour. Although she was nervous she was excited as her school friends would be on the same route a few stops along. A few trial runs and I’m sure she will be fine - I think mum nerves get the better of us! Xx

My dc all had to get a bus to school in the next town 45mins journey. They each did practice runs during the summer holidays, to get used to it. In my experience the majority of older children look out for the yr7's on the bus (ours was a public bus rather than school bus). Over the years my dc made some good friends on the bus, and was an opportunity to mix with different year groups.

Just practice it several times over the summer holidays. Run through scenarios with her. Get her life360 or similar on her phone so you can see where she is.

If she's keen to do it, then I'd be supportive. There will be lots of children also getting the bus.

Of course she can catch a bus at 11! I used to walk 30 minutes on my own to Primary school when I was 7. Yes, I know, things have changed since the 70s (not for the better IMO)!

You do some test runs with her over summer. Walk the route with her, ask her to point out where she should cross the road, what she should be looking out for. Get on the bus with her, and get her to clock all the things on the route so she can work out how close or far she is from her school.

The next time she does this with you but she pays for herself, crosses the road without your intervention etc.

Give her advice on what to do if she is approached by anyone. I had to catch 2 buses to school at 11. I wasn't really used to catching a bus either. Luckily there were 2 boys who also did the same route so although we weren't friends I wasn't alone. Try to find out if anyone else will be walking that route to the bus stop.

I did when I started year 7 (also an august baby). It was nerve racking for about a week, I was really scared of doing something wrong. After that it was literally just a part of my daily routine.

Its likely she will find friends doing the route in no time.

Secondary school kids get capable of their commute very quickly. It's easier to grapple with a complex commute by learning it in stages in reverse order.

During the summer, a couple of times drop her off at the bus depot where she will be changing buses, and let her get the bus to school, and pick her up from there, so she's used to the last part first.

Then drop her off at the "5 minutes walk away" bus stop for her first week of school in September.

After the first week she can do the whole thing solo.

For the way home - is there any chance you could meet her (with younger child in tow) at the bus station at the end off the day a few times at first

Will any other children be getting the bus? Where I live only option is a bus, but it’s a school bus so a bit different. My 11yo can’t manage the public bus home if he gets a detention, but I’m sure if I did a trial run with him he’d be fine.

Of course it’s fine. All children get public transport for school here. I used to get a 35 minute tram to school and my DC will have a similar journey.

Yes, I second the fact that come august she will be more grown up than now.

Do some test runs with her the week before she starts and maybe the first day of secondary ... then give her a kids debit card, plus simple phone she can use to call/text if stuck, a house key ... and then off she goes.

After a week it will feel normal.

They grow up a lot between y6 SATs and starting y7. It is almost like someone flips a switch after SATs from what I have seen as a parent over the years.

Use the summer wisely to practice the route and general independence.
Cover 'what ifs'.
Would she really be the only one - no older children doing the same route? They will keep an eye out for younger ones.

Do a dummy run or two with her.

Kids seem to grow up very quickly when they move to secondary. Most of my dds friends have got the school bus, the service bus or walked since yr7. 45mins as a second leg seems like a long trip to school though? Is there no nearer option? (Or is it one of those that would take 10 mins in the car on a more direct route?)

Millions of 11 year olds do this. I did it as a late Aug born Yr7 well before mobile phones. I had a journey of 2 bus plus 20 of walking etc. There was no other options