How long is your secondary age child's journey to school?

[LorenzoCalzone]

My 11yo will start secondary in September. He'll have to leave the house around 7.35, walk 5 mins to bus stop, 15 minutes on bus, which arrives near school at 8. School starts at 8.20.

I feel a bit guilty cos I didn't pick the closest school (5 minute walk) as it gets awful results. When i was a kid I could walk to school in under 20 minutes so his commute feels long to me.

I've been looking at houses nearer but it's a pricier area and would mean a smaller house but a 20 minute walk - and probably nearer to friends.

Interested to hear how far your kids travel to see if I'm overthinking this.

I would have done the same as you.

That's a manageable commute for a secondary school age child and worth it imo for a better school than the one 5 mins walk away

My DC have a 12 min walk to school but our first choice had a similar bus commute to the one your DS will have.

In your position, I def wouldn't consider moving for that reason alone.

5 minute walk. But their friends have commutes ranging from being dropped off by parents (up to 30 min drive), public bus (again 30mins or so) or School Bus (about 20mins as its direct from those villages)... plus those who walk from within 1.5 miles or so (basically this villagecand the next one).

I had a 10minute walk, 30 minute bus, 20min walk.

I think we are very lucky to live close to a good school.

10-15 min bus ride from us - we could move nearer but we like where we are.

Leave at 7.30, 10 min walk to bus stop then about 40 minutes on the bus. We live in a village so whichever school they went to would be much the same. They dont enjoy the early mornings (neither do I) but its easier now it's light when they leave the house, the winter months are tough.

My youngest has a 5 minute walk.

My oldest has to do a 5 minute walk, get a 10 minutes bus, then 20 mins train, then another 5 mins walk to get to 6th form. Including waiting for the bus and train it's the nest part of an hour. It's fine.

When I was young, I travelled an hour to secondary, from age 11, including a 15 minute walk.

I just got on with it, it was normal to me. 20 minutes is nothing! It will build independence.

Please feel proud of yourself that you have prioritised your DS's education and opportunities.

My daughter starts high school in September, her school is a 17 minute walk away. It feels too far for me tbh, but her friends house Is a 4 minute walk from ours so they'll meet there, then walk the remaining 13 minutes together & 6 minutes into that walk they walk past my friends shop ( can you tell I'm anxious 😅 )

That’s nothing. My DD can now drive but she walked five mins to the coach stop and it was approx 45 mins to school- longer in traffic. We are in London so she was often stuck in traffic.

About 50min absolute minimum there and 1 hr 15 back, due to train times. But definitely the most suitable school for her. Her friends who go to our local school do have more time available for things like part time jobs.

9 minute cycle or 30 minute walk or 12 minutes car.

They can chose and have that flexibility which was the reason we bought the house 16 years ago.

My eldest has a 20 minute walk to high school. leaves at 8am.
If your closest school gets awful results he’ll probably get on better at this school. Sure once he’s in a routine it will be fine.

Dc going in Sept so interested in this.

Current allocation - 20 mins walk, 10 mins train, 20 mins walk. I think it's too far.

School appealing for- 5 mins walk, 15 mins bus to school.

I think you've chosen the right school. Jealous of all the kids who can walk though

We chose the 5 minute walk away over a 25 minute bus ride away, friends were mystified.

It was an easy choice for us the school had bad results but we both worked in higher education and knew what raw material we had with our DS, the close school streamed for every subject and we knew that he would be in top set for everything.

Unless it’s the sort of horrendous and quite frankly dangerous inner city comp which my friend taught in till recently then I think people worry far too much about school choice. But I suppose it’s having the confidence to know the capacity of your child.

If I look around at the 22 to 28 years olds that are the bulk of the ages of most of the children of our own and our friends kids. Their outcomes vary, four of them were privately educated, two doing well, one doing ok and one has not done well at all. Amongst the state educated two are very successful career wise for such young ages and the others doing fine.But of all those young people I have known, many since birth their outcomes are also very governed not just by their academic capacity but their ability to mix with their peer group and others. The least successful is the privately educated lad but he is unfortunatley rather obnoxious and always has been.

My teenage years saw me live opposite a CofE Secondary school, but I wasn’t accepted (despite appeal), because we weren’t regular enough churchgoers.

So I went to the other Secondary school a mile and a half away, and always walked, come rain or shine. I recall walking in the morning after the ‘Michael Fish’ non-storm, stepping over all sorts of debris. 🤣

I did however encounter a lot of bullying on the 1/2 mile walk to the end of our road, by the CofE kids who would constantly trip me up or push me in to bushes/hedges.

Leaves at 7.20 - lift to station for 7.28 train, 5 minute walk to school from there, arrives 7.50. He gets in early to row before registration.
School finishes 4pm, gets 4.15 train, pick up from station 4.30, home 5 minutes after that.

Why are you anxious about an 11yo walking 20 minutes ?

15 minute cycle.

30 minute walk, she usually bikes though which takes about 15 minutes.

16 and 14.

60 minutes there public bus. Bit longer on the way home due to traffic.

It's roughly the same if I drive them as we have alot of diversions and the bus can go through them. I used to drive but the bus is quicker!

10-15 minutes walk.

About 2 minutes.

My dd had a half hour bus ride with a 10 minute walk at each end.

It seemed a long journey to me but it's the school she chose (she could have gone to the secondary school in our town but wanted to go to a different one); there were loads of other kids on the bus; she never thought travel was a problem.

15m drive

20 min walk or 7-8 mins car

when I was at school it was 5 mins walk to bus stop then 15 mins bus journey

We have always taken them in the car and it’s about a 40 minute drive.

@ViciousCurrentBun
Unless it’s the sort of horrendous and quite frankly dangerous inner city comp which my friend taught in till recently then I think people worry far too much about school choice.

Neglected coastal towns face much steeper challenges and lower results than schools in major urban centres like London. I wonder what it is that you find particularly horrendous about these schools?

I do hope that you don't have influence over admissions if you work in higher education.