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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think pupils at secondary should make their way to school on their own?

226 replies

emkana · 07/10/2011 21:47

be it walking, cycling, or bus - but not driven by their parents anymore. I guess liftsharing with other parents to save money is okay. But parents driving the little darlings every day because they couldn't possibly manage?

OP posts:
MilicentBystander · 08/10/2011 20:15

I know, I really dislike my kids. God knows why had so many.

That's why I don't drive them to school. Hmm

popadop · 08/10/2011 20:16

If the cap fits.

fluffythevampirestabber · 08/10/2011 20:16

Milicent - where did anyone say you disliked your kids?

All I said was that for me it's not a big deal to lift them. Confused

fluffythevampirestabber · 08/10/2011 20:17

Why do you care so much Milicent?

natation · 08/10/2011 21:14

Uppity is the 1.33 mile bus trip really £1.50 per journey for a child? Is there no season ticket? That's 360 * 1.50 = £540 for a years journeys to school and back. I've just looked up a season ticket for where I was brought up and went to secondary as a child, a years unlimited bus / metro / train is £190 for under 16s or £1 a day for those who do not always go by public transport.

600 / 45 = 13.33 / 10 trips = 1.33 miles per trip. £30 for 20 journeys = £1.50

Uppity · 08/10/2011 22:35

No it's about 2.5 miles.
Sorry my maths is completely shit. Grin

It doesn't cost 6 it costs just over a tenner I think.

But the bus fare is still about 15 pounds, so to take both of them, it would be more than double. Plus time, convenience and the fact that it's on my way to work anyway.

I don't understand your maths, 600 etc. You only do 39 weeks at school, so you don't need a season ticket. There is some kind of discount scheme in my area, but that discount still means 15 quid a week. It's still more expensive than 13 quid a week, which would be driven anyway half the time, because it's on my way to work.

Unlimited train travel for under 200 quid a year is very cheap, but I think that prob means that it is subsidised by your local council. Some subsidised schemes are better than others, only disabled and pensioner travel is statutory, so there is wide variation in what sort of schemes are available for school children in different counties - councils aren't obliged to provide funding for cheap travel for children (though lots do).

natation · 09/10/2011 09:44

1125 / 45 = 2.5 miles per trip. The 600 was £6.

It's Tyne and Wear where 11 to 16 year olds travel for £190 per year, as I don't live there any more, it's not clear if that includes weekend travel as well, but it's a pretty good price.
here

Our children used to live in East Kent which now has an even cheaper deal, £100 for the year for buses
here

In London, public transport is completely free.

So where in the UK is it most expensive for 11 to 16 year olds to take a bus? I feel like naming an shaming now, those areas that do not subsidise children on the way to school.

Uppity · 09/10/2011 11:42

Well tbh I'm not keen on saying where I live now that MN is infested with MRA stalkers, but there are lots of areas where it is cheaper to go by car, particularly if you are taking more than one child. Most councils do subsidise children's travel to some extent, but there is no statutory duty to do that and often even with the subsidy, it doesn't cancel out the extra expense of travelling by bus if the parent is going to drive to work anyway, more or less past the school (it doesn't for me).

In my area, the subsidy was only brought in about 3 or 4 years ago FWIR, up to then, it was even more expensive for children to use buses to get to school. That Kent scheme is a huge success btw but it costs them millions and outside of London, it's one of the best.

tyler80 · 09/10/2011 12:26

I guess I never really realised how few areas don't provide free school transport. I grew up somewhere where school transport is free if you live a certain distance from the school (>3 miles for secondary I think)

pointydog · 09/10/2011 12:41

It's one of the side effects of the policy to let parents choose wherever they send their kids to school.

Bring back a proper comprehensive system and support communities.

Bramshott · 09/10/2011 12:52

I'm a bit confused by this. Surely all kids up to Y11 who go to their local school are entitled to free transport if it's more than 3 miles? Confused

pointydog · 09/10/2011 12:56

There are a lot of kids around who don't go to their local school.

natation · 09/10/2011 13:11

The basic rules of free transport over 3 miles etc are here.

The prices I found for public transport passes which I linked to above would cover children 11-16 who live less than 3 miles away or children who live over 3 miles away whose parents have not chosen the most local school to home. I find £540 for bus journeys covering 180 days of return travel by bus quoted by Uppity very excessive in these circumstances. Our eldest is probably going to school in Cumbria, checked the price there will be £266 for the school year, if he travels around on the local Stagecoach buses.

tyler80 · 09/10/2011 13:15

School transport in my area is actually more generous than that set out by directgov.

Free transport is provided for your catchment school, or your closest school or the closest school within the same local authority area.

Uppity · 09/10/2011 13:16

Yes all kids who go to their nearest suitable school, are entitled to free school transport if it's over 3 miles.

But if it's not their nearest suitable school - ie you wanted your DC to go to the good school 3.1 miles away instead of the sink school up the road, then you won't get free transport because it's not your nearest available school.

This is where catholics etc., get an advantage because if you're a practising catholic, you can claim that the nearest suitable school for you, was the one 4 miles away, even if there are 3 secular schools closer.

tyler80 · 09/10/2011 13:20

No special exemptions for Faith Schools in a lot of local authority areas Uppity. If it's not your closest school or you're not in catchment then you don't get subsidised transport to the closest Catholic school if you're Catholic.

IHeartKingThistle · 09/10/2011 13:30

Some parents at the secondary school I teach in turn up half an hour before the final bell and sit in front of the main entrance with their engines running. Brilliant. Hmm

Lizcat · 09/10/2011 13:36

Our local secondary has a catchment of less than 0.5miles, but still at school kick out time my car park and access to it are blocked by mum's whose darlings can't possibly walk home - I now stick stickers on their windows. Even crazier are the ones who drive to the primary school (these catchments are tiny) collect the primary child and then drive to the secondary to collect the older child - they spend more time in the car than it would take to walk on the lovely wide pavements we have.

Theas18 · 09/10/2011 13:41

Spends on all the above surely? My kids are at selective schools and a lots of their mates do travel by bus/ train etc by some do live in beautiful rural areas when the last bus was in 1970 or what ever!

I kind of feel that by secondary transfer kids should on the whole be able to use public transport though. It's another if those little steps on the way to independence .

Uppity · 09/10/2011 13:58

tyler80 - you can expect that problem to get worse, as the govt has made it clear in its latest awarding of money for transport, that supporting schools to promote sustainable travel to parents and pupils, is no longer a priority. (It used to be.)

So expect more congestion around schools...

motherinferior · 09/10/2011 15:35

I absolutely expect my kids to make their way home at secondary. As do they. DD1 - in Y6 - has firmly informed me that she is going to do a fair amount of walking home from primary in the dark this year on her own as she'll be doing so every day next year.

breadandbutterfly · 09/10/2011 16:53

I have this problem. I and my dd (recently started yr 7) would both like her to walk to the bus stop and get the (single, short, free) bus to school. BUT the girl who she goes to school with has v protective parents who don't want her to walk to the bus stop ever, and drive both girls to and from the stop every day. My dd likes her friend and doesn't wish to upset her parents - but being escorted to/from the bus every day is depriving her of the independence she thought she would have.

What to do? Walk and maybe lose her friend? Or stay with her friend but never get any independence, even though her own parents are happy for her to do so?

Rivenwithoutabingle · 09/10/2011 16:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Uppity · 09/10/2011 17:02

Hmm. I suppose you could suggest that they walk to the bus stop with one of the adults? At least they wouldn't be driving. And then they could get to know the route really well and maybe you could engineer walking them only part of the way, then a shorter part of the way, until the day came where they could do the whole route by themselves?

In the end, I suppose you can just go by what your DD actually wants to do.

ElaineReese · 09/10/2011 17:25

OP, YAN, on the whole BU!

I do know of people who won't be given a free bus despite living in a satellite village, if the village isn't far enough away - and I do sometimes drop dd off if it's chucking it down or she has a lot to carry. And I'm sure there are lots of comparable situations with bullying, SN, etc.

By and large, though, I don't doubt there are a lot of mollied children getting dropped off every day, who could and should be able to get there under their own steam, thus alleviating a lot of traffic and pollution. There just ARE!

Our school has to keep reminding us not to actually drive up the drive to the actual 2 feet outside the main door to pick up - people won't even park round the corner and make their children walk 100 yards! Which I think is plain daft.