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Original poster

Would you always choose a school close to home ?

26 replies

Whichonewhichone · 29/02/2020 07:08

If you had a choice is it always better?
Currently at one school which is a 10 min drive away (but i do t drive so it’s a 5 min walk then a 15 min bus then another 5/10 min walk) but the school 10 min walk away has vacancies.
Is it always better ? I’m anxious to change v sensitive dc who are settled if it’s going to upset them but in all honesty the pick up is hard. I don’t want to change them and it’s the wrong choice but equally is it better to always be at your nearest school

OP posts:

LolaSmiles · 29/02/2020 07:12

Unless there was a substantial difference in the quality of education, pastoral care and SEND provision if relevant then I would any within a reasonable walking distance for primary.

There's benefits for pickup and they'll have play mates closer to home.

Weenurse · 29/02/2020 07:16

Closer to home for secondary as that allows them to socialise easier, and be more independent getting to and from school

HelloDulling · 29/02/2020 07:16

Of course it’s not always better. The pick up will be better, but you need to choose the right school for your kids. You are fortunate to have that choice. Have you been and looked at the closer school, and met the head? Do you know other people who send their children there?

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General education

phivephatphish · 29/02/2020 07:17

We’ve always chosen the school that best suits DC. Distance from home (within reason) has been irrelevant. But I’ve had my eyes opened reading MN to this being the top criteria for school choice. If it makes your life easier, and there is no discernible difference between the schools then go to the closest one.

Original poster

Whichonewhichone · 29/02/2020 07:52

The current school is definitely the best school for one dc due to the support
We couldn’t have them at 2 diff schools it’s just the travel etc isn’t great and is becoming more and more stressful
We have a meeting scheduled to go and have a chat and look around I’m just aware we need to make probably a quick decision and the thought of it being so nearby is very appealing

OP posts:

sewingsinger · 29/02/2020 07:55

How old are your DCs? How long will it be before they can navigate the journey themselves? If your children are happy please think very very hard about moving them.

SimonJT · 29/02/2020 07:58

It was for me, but I’m lucky were schooling is concerned, I moved in April so our chosen school was only a 15-20 minute walk. My son is adopted so we were guaranteed a place.

LIZS · 29/02/2020 07:59

As the dc get older the shorter journey could well make a difference in after school activities and socially. For you as well as them.

MarieQueenofScots · 29/02/2020 08:00

We didn’t. DD travels a 26 mile round trip to school including passing a secondary at the end of our road.

Sure it would be easier if she was local, but the education and experience she’s receiving are majorly worth it.

SnuggyBuggy · 29/02/2020 08:03

It does depend on the school but I can see the advantages to a local school. When I was in my teens I really hated having to rely on lifts from my parents to spend time with friends for example but if the local school is crap that could outweigh this.

Bluewater1 · 29/02/2020 08:04

I think nearer has alot of merits, particularly for secondary when they become more independent, closer for socialising with friends, more chance of going to after school clubs because you can walk home afterwards, being able to walk to school with your friends.
I think it's less important for primary where relationships and feeling settled is more important. But if the drop off and pick up is becoming unmanageable then this needs to be a factor. Look around and see what you think. How old are your DC and do they have additional needs that would be well supported by the new school?

Rockbird · 29/02/2020 08:30

We had a choice of two excellent schools, one a pain to get to, and one 20 mins walk from home and 5 mins from town centre. We went for the latter and Yr7 DD1 who was initially very nervous is now walking into town with friends etc and is coming on leaps and bounds in terms of independence. If the two schools are equal in all other respects then definitely take the closer one.

DropYourSword · 29/02/2020 08:32

I’d choose the best school for my child’s needs within a reasonable boundary. I wouldn’t automatically pick the closest, but neither would I be prepared to consider one that might be better but is realistically too far away.

CMMum88 · 29/02/2020 08:37

At one point, my poor mum had four children all at different schools.

How old are your kids? Could they bike there and home?

Luunaa · 29/02/2020 11:27

I feel for you having to do all that travel. But I'd pick the best school for my kids and take the travel out of the equation. Just work out like for like which school is best and go with that one.

FTR, we travel right across town to DS's school and pass about 5 on the way. It's worth it.

Oblomov20 · 29/02/2020 11:34

It's one of my very top priorities. But not everyone's.

Many of Ds1's friends get up at 5.30am or 6am to get to school. 1.5 hours in the morning, is 15 hours a week. You are spending 2 working days commuting.

That drains a child. It would drain you and me commuting!

If it's a feeder school, say catholic, and you have 6 schools? Some far away.

What about when you meet up? 20 boys on their bikes, going to play football all day, and then going to Nando's to get Peri Peri chicken wings?

I wanted both my ds's to have lots of friends who lived close by.

LilyPond2 · 29/02/2020 11:38

Obviously it's not always better to be at the school close to home. It depends on the school! I'd be particularly wary of moving sensitive DC who are settled where they are. However, assuming your DC are still at primary school, one point worth thinking about is whether nearly all the children from their current primary school are likely to go to the same secondary school and, if so, whether your own children will get in at that school or whether they live too far away to get a place.

Your current journey doesn't sound excessive.

Valkadin · 29/02/2020 11:43

We chose the secondary school that’s less than a five minute walk away. My house was the closest and my memories of my sons friendships makes me very happy, we became a social hub. However he had no additional needs and made friends easily. When you say you have sensitive dc it is a very different situation. I would probably leave them where they are.

LilyPond2 · 29/02/2020 12:07

A lot of people are answering the question based on how they chose a school at the outset. But the OP is looking at moving her children away from their existing school at which they are settled. That is a very different matter. OP, is there any reason for moving schools other than your own convenience? Moving your children from a school where they are happy just to shorten your school pick up journey would be very selfish.

chipsandgin · 29/02/2020 12:25

I would say that moving kids from a school where they are happy and settled wouldn’t be a great plan just on the basis of the 5 minute driving difference. Why the school run inconvenient- is it work logistics, is that something you could change? Could you learn to drive at some point in the future, or cycle with them? Moving schools to solve a minimal time issue seems a bit sledgehammer to crack a nut, are there no alternative solutions that would mean the kids could stay where they are?

We’ve always chosen schools based on whether they suit the kids & if we think they will be/are happy there, the school ethos & culture, outside space, from taking to existing parents about their experiences, looking at the Ofsted (but with a pinch of salt as there are often external factors influencing the overall grade).

But being a few minutes closer wouldn’t factor in particularly, especially if they were already established & we weren’t unhappy with the existing school. I wouldn’t underestimate the impact of moving them, most kids are fairly adaptable but if it’s avoidable then I personally wouldn’t (or rather haven’t - we live next door to a primary which seems fine, we moved here three years ago when DS2 was in year 2 but he loves his school & so do we so I do a 15 min trip on the way to work & juggle the pick up logistics daily so he could stay there.

formerbabe · 29/02/2020 12:35

Depends on what year they're in....reception age...move them. Year 5...stick it out.

Original poster

Whichonewhichone · 29/02/2020 13:06

Year 3 and 4
Yes it’s predominantly distance and pick up issues it takes so much out of the day and have a very difficult toddler (possible asd) so that is a factor
Good point about the high schools- current school they will all go to a diff one and my school will be one of only a handful going to the high school nearer home so from that perspective would make sense to change them for that reason too so they were going with a big group of new friends

OP posts:

Original poster

Whichonewhichone · 29/02/2020 13:07

To get there pick them up and return home can sometimes take up to 2 hours in total as often buses too full at that time of day so often miss one. This school we would be out for about half an hour in total for pick up so it’s very very tempting

OP posts:

Nowayorhighway · 29/02/2020 13:58

We have a school on the end of our street which would have made life a billion times easier but it was oversubscribed. They’re in a school that’s probably a 5 minute drive at best but takes 30 mins to walk. I do walk it sometimes on my days off when the weather is nice but obviously it’s an hour round trip. If you don’t drive having a school closer is always better because there will be occasions when you have to collect during the day due to illness.

PurpleGentian · 29/02/2020 14:12

I don’t think it’s always better to be at your nearest school.

The school my DC started primary school at was 30 - 45 mins drive away depending on traffic. At the time DC1 started we felt it was the best available school. The journey was undeniably a PITA, but we’d have dealt with that as long as we continued to feel it was the better school.

As things turned out, the DC are now at a school 5 - 10 mins drive away (still not our closest school). The shorter journey time is a massive advantage, but that’s not why we moved them.
We moved them because circumstances meant that the first school was no longer an option for DC1, and even if it was an option, we’d completely lost faith in their ability to provide him with anything near a decent education. So we moved both school age DC to their current school.

Having said that, the adjustment to the new school was not trouble free, especially for DC1. Despite our concerns about the old school, DC1 has been happy there and didn’t welcome the change. DC2 (in Reception) had a few initial wobbles but adjusted very quickly.

Moving schools was really the only option for us, but if your DC are settled in their school, and you’re happy with the school, then personally I’d be reluctant to move them just because the school run isn’t great.

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