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.

Everyone loves to say how their state educated kid got into Oxford and their friend's privately educated kid is on social welfare.

Frankly its boring.

People choose schools for a variety of reasons. The nearest school isn't necessarily the best fit for the child who lives beside it.

Just send them there anyway, for heaven’s sake. Most schools are much of a muchness. Little Jolyon will be fine.

That's manageable.

I moved mid way through my secondary school but for both schools I had about an hour journey. For the first one it was a car journey part of the way there, then a bus, then on the way back two busses. Similarly my parents chose a "better" school but didn't bother to check again after my two older siblings had been through. It was crap by the time I went there, bullying was rife and the journey was awful.

Second school was only one bus and so in comparison was brilliant.

So in summary, they'll manage.

My two boys are at university now, but they had a 30 minute bus ride twice daily for school and one of them then did the best part of a hour each way for college post-16. Rural living for you...

40 mins on the school bus, but it's door to door so he rolls out of bed and onto the bus with no effort. It great until our lane is closed and then it's a good hour and a half diversion.

Just over 2 miles. Dh drops them off in the car and usually picks them up although 12 year old sometimes chooses to walk home with friends. It's our nearest secondary school and tbh we wouldn't have had a chance at getting in anywhere else.

Forgot to add it wasn't great when ds1 started in 2017 but the current head started at the beginning of 2020 and it's gone from strength to strength since then. They have bent over backwards to accommodate ds5 who has quite significant special needs. The school has been oversubscribed in all year groups for the last couple of years.

Thanks everyone, mine seems like a doddle compared to some journeys.

Do you actually have kids?

It’s a very brisk 30 mins walk (45+ if walking slowly/the longer route with friends) or about 10-15 mins by car. No public transport option.

Dd has always liked the walk - clears her head and exercise and walking with friends.

Currently 2 mins to the bus stop and then about a 10min bus ride. Used to be 15 min walk to the bus stop then a 10 min bus ride.

My eldest has a 25 min walk and my youngest has a 5 min bike ride, 10 min train journey and another 10 mins bike ride at the other end. They’ve both done this since they started in y7.