School run with two children in London

[Intubia]

Hi All,
i wonder if I could use community wisdom re: options how to commute to school/back with two children.

my older one is now 3 and we’re driving to/from on most days (15-20min up to 30 door to door at most in am), around 15-20 in pm. We do it 3 times a week. We also have an option to take the bus (4 stops) and then tube (3 stops) which is also around 30-35 min. The bus bit is usually a walk 15 min adult pace, I thought of using scooter but it’s up and wonhill and rather bad pavement, significant traffic etc.

next year my older one will go to reception so will need this 5/week and I’m planning to put my then 2 y/o into nursery on the same place. Whilst driving will probably remain preferred mode of transportation, there will be days when I will need to head straight to work after drop off, and I’m unable to leave the car in the area as it’s either resident permit or up to 4 hrs paid parking.

cycling probably not an option as route is dangeorous+2 children. I was thinking sth like Thule chariot cross 2 but then tube station does require 1 flight of stairs. Bus connection extends journey to 40 min and that’s w/o traffic.

any other parental hacks?

Find a school closer to home maybe?

Would you need a buggy for a 2yr old if you’re on a tube? Can’t they walk to the tube (or scoot if capable) and then walk the other end. Carry if necessary?

It’s a short term issue as your 2yr old will soon be able to walk much further and faster.

We used buses and scooters when we did it. We then switched to a nanny so she’d do the school run and look after the 2yr old at home. She also covered all the school holidays and it was cheaper than nursery + afterschool care.

That’s a really long commute to school for kids that aren’t even compulsory school age yet. Is it for a big name pre prep or something? We’re a 5 minute drive to school, or it’s ~20 minute scoot but not in this weather at 3YO pace 🤣and we pass 2 states and 2 privates on the way to ours and I’m fairly confident that all except one of the privates would have space tomorrow if I wanted to move them. So maybe reconsider if this school is the best choice for the family.

But if this is what you’re set on doing then is there an option to do breakfast/early club? Drive might be quicker if you can do it earlier, then you drive home again and drop the car before commuting from home. Alternatively do the bus/tube route with a lightweight pram (YoYo) with the buggy board so you can pace the walk but it won’t be an issue getting it on/off public transport and ask to store it at school so you can head straight off to work from there.

Is there a reason you've chosen a school so far away?
We live in London and most people's kids we know are in local primaries. Most walk to school then go on to get the tube/bus to work.

The only people we know who are driving distance to schools (and then having to find car parking before getting the train to work - or alternatively are WFH) live outside London.

Unless there was really no alternative, I wouldn't want to do that journey at all.

My no 1 parental hack for school run is to move close to an excellent state primary and walk to and from.

This. I live in London. We have three primary schools within 10 mins walk.

I commute into Central London from SE London and found that train/busses/tubes got really more crowded over the last 1/2 year.

I have some parents with school (Infant school age) age children in my train and the children can hardly hold on the poles and there is absolute no room for buggies.

I would seriously look into schools closer to your home, that is not sustainable for years to come.

Agree with the pps - so many excellent state primaries in London.

Ours is a c.20 min walk away (I preferred it to the 2 closer ones) and we use an electric cargo bike. Both my kids can cycle independently but on cold rainy mornings it’s so much easier, and the journey takes 5 mins.

Our primary school run was an 8 minute walk. I can't imagine doing what you are describing. Sounds like an unnecessary life complication. If there are no schools close to where you live, which seems unlikely, then I'd consider moving. Short term pain for long term gain.

Why are you going for a school so far away? That seems a long way even if you're in one of those odd catchment black holes. I live in London and have 5 state schools and one private in 20 minutes walk.
If you have to do it and can't move closer could you look just park or something to park on someone's drive? They might even offer a discount if used every day. Even a lightweight buggy is hell on the tube, and that's outside rush hour.

Loads of Londoners do that sort of commute to private primary.

Don’t do this to yourself or your kids. Presumably this is a private school. Either move closer to it or send your kids to local state. Being able to walk to school is worth so much in terms of reduced stress, healthier lifestyle

Having to drive somewhere before then commuting to work (presumably on public transport) sounds incredibly stressful.

My ‘hack’ is that I live walkable distance to school / nursery and would not choose any nursery / school which requires additional travel until they’re old enough to get there themselves.

Find a closer school/nursery. Fucking madness to drive the school run in London.

Electric cargo bikes. I don't know of any London routes that would be faster by car (especially factoring in school run parking chaos), and there's always a quiet route on back roads.

We had a 30 min tube commute when DD started prep school and that sort of commute isn't uncommon at all. But luckily we moved after one term and we have a 5 minute walk now. I would definitely consider trying to find a better transport route at the very least, if moving nearby is too expensive, a short walk and straight shot on the tube if possible.

Thank you all for your replies. The choice of school is no longer in discussion, this is a private primary, but the reason we chose this one is that this is closest area to us with great schools. Our local state school are not a consideration for us (it's not that they're not great, they are bad and troubled and the closest state school that would be acceptable and we could dream of getting to is 10 min drive in traffic in the opposite direction to work and with no meaningful connection to our workplaces, so worse overall). So I am accepting the commute as such and I knew what I was subscribing to when we chose this school nearly a year ago. Relocation is not a reconsideration as we're contemplating big family move to completely different area of London or even overseas which is a matter of next 2-3 years and as we live in our property and not renting.

So I mostly look into options other parents are using when commuting with children, other than car - there were posts about buggy+scooter. I was contemplating doing that (Babyzen Yoyo for the little one) and then scooter for older one? (though pavement is not great on our way to tube). E-bikes are quite popular in the area where school is, but there isn't necessarily a storage area in the school for them, and my job is 10 miles away across all central London.

Any other bright ideas?

Is it worth ubering or leaving your car in a car park nearby somewhere? Or look on just park and see if you can privately rent someone’s car space

Some options that are not perfect:

• Yoyo as you said - wheels are thin which isn't so great on bumpy ground but we loved ours. I could carry it with child down tube steps although harder as they get heavier! Folds up small. You can get a seat attachment your 4yo could sit on although that makes it much harder to push.
• Ride on scooter for your 2yo. One where they sit on it with a handle to push. We had a Globber. Steering it is a knack and again can get a bit stuck on kerbs/raised bits of pavement. Advantage is it's quite small for storing as it is scooter sized. Also light to carry down stairs although child would obviously have to get off. No storage space for bags and no rain cover.
• Slightly bigger buggy with buggy board. Might be more reliant on help at the tube.

I used to have one kid on the front of my bike and another on the back. If I was doing it again I’d get a cargo bike.

At that age i didn't drive and relied a lot on my mamas and papas mental framed pushchair which was large in size so both girls could squeeze in one behind the other or dd1 could stand on the wheel axel if I removed the wire basket. Not sure they make them as solid now.

Another vote for an adult bike with a kids seat on the front and the back. We had this set up and it worked well. We still occasionally use it for a 6 and 4 year old when we need to get somewhere quickly.

Taxi

Or school minibus service, if they have one