To support DS to break school rules?

[Woffa]

My DS's secondary school has issued a written ban on sixth formers driving to school and parking in the local roads nearby (even though there are no double yellow lines etc) to avoid upsetting the residents.
The bus fare for DS is expensive and the saving helps pay for his insurance.

AIBU to support him in ignoring the ban?

Um, the majority. Most people do not live within four miles of their workplace, which is at the top end of a reasonable daily walking distance for most people

I disagree that it is the vast majority, maybe more than half, but there are thousands upon thousands who take a car for trips of less than two or three miles, i even know people who take the car to the station in the morning!

It won't go on for ever, it is unsustainable, the price of petrol will eventually rise, there will have to eventually be some form of petrol rationing, and within a few generations walking will become the norm again.

Of course, it could be too late undo the environmental damage by then.

According to the census, in 2011 the average commuting distance was just over 9 miles. That had risen a mile since 2001 and has probably risen further since. Simple maths tells you it probably IS the vast majority going more than two or three miles.

Simple maths tells you it probably IS the vast majority going more than two or three miles

The national office of statistics data says that 65% of men travel less then 6 miles, and they travel further than women, and that 20% of workers do not commute at all, so you are talking in the first place about a VERY skewed sample, ie, men who travel a long distance to work having a n average commute of 9 miles.

The vast majority are less than 5 miles, easily walked at least part of the week, for anyone without a mobility issue.

These figures are also total distance travelled, and it completely disregards the people on the road to get to a train station a mile or two away, to drop of children at a school they could easily walk to, etc etc etc.

As I said, a poster on another thread was winging that she didn't think she should put her DC through a 20 walk to the child minder!!!! TWENTY MINUTES!!!! I could not believe my eyes.

The whole point of this thread is the OP seems to think sixthformers have a right to drive to school, legally, they don't that is easily established, but morally and ethically they don't either. We have two generations oftotal namby pambies who don't seem to realise what their legs are for, and are totally oblivious to the long term damage to their health and the health of the planet, and have got into incredibly spoilt and lazy habits.

We walk almost everywhere as a family. The only exceptions are that my DH drives to work (30 miles) and we use the car for the weekly shop (to carry the stuff). We are going to replace our car with a hybrid soon, which will considerably reduce petrol costs.

Thankfully my DC's schools are local. However it is true that some have to travel. More than 3 miles allows for free transport up to the end of GCSE's which makes sense to me. What seems unfair is this is removed post the GCSE year though it is still compulsory to stay in education till 18 (and a bus pass is £700).

Now I have experienced cycling to school (about 3 miles) when I went to a school out of 'catchment' when I was younger. The distance is fine, although it is difficult to stay remotely dry in wet weather. At certain times the roads could be frightening, with certain long lorries you used to get a suction type effect as they overtook. Now the roads are even busier and not everywhere is well serviced with cycle paths. So I can understand students wanting to drive this distance.

I personally would do a 20 minute walk and have done a 40 minute walk to work before which was ok.

Still, I just don't get the lack of understanding shown to students in the situation the op has outlined. I live in a road where students park too.

These rules have been bog standard for decades, and quite rightly so

No, they haven't. And where they do exist, they certainly have not been punishable by permanent exclusion. Take it from someone who has been working in the field for a long, long time.

no icimoi, I am simply not spending my precious free time pandering to people who would be perfectly capable of remedying their own ignorance, should they actually want their ignorance remedied.

The thing is, I'm not ignorant. And I'm not going to spend hours looking for evidence of something that I know doesn't exist. Chris, the fact that you won't spend one minute proving that, according to you, it does, tells us all we need to know. Citing a story about an accident involving teenagers does not prove what you are trying to say.

The whole point of this thread is the OP seems to think sixthformers have a right to drive to school, legally, they don't that is easily established, but morally and ethically they don't either. We have two generations oftotal namby pambies who don't seem to realise what their legs are for, and are totally oblivious to the long term damage to their health and the health of the planet, and have got into incredibly spoilt and lazy habits.

You're talking rubbish. People don't just drive because they have forgotten what their legs are for, unhealthy, spoilt and lazy. You have zero evidence that the OP's son fits any of that criteria. Stop projecting onto other people. Do you make every life decision based on what is greener and healthier? Do you eat meat? Is your home more than zero-carbon? Do you buy things packaged in non-recyclable plastics? Do you ever take a bath instead of a shower? Do you buy new clothes when there are secondhand available in charity shops? Do you feel you have to justify yourself if the answer to any of those is "yes"?

You have got to accept that people make decisions for all sorts of reasons and you have no right to judge them.

If he has a license, and a road worthy taxed and insured car, he DOES have a right to drive wherever he bloody pleases. And he can park wherever he bloody well pleases too, as long as he does so legally.
The rest is just nonsense. The school has no input here. The local residents feelings about parking have no input. Certainly the bizarre ranting of internet randoms have no input.

Found 4x 6th forms with policies about pupils who drive.

Aldenham (fee-paying, Herts), Farrington (fee paying, Kent), Chigwell (fee-paying, Essex), Pocklington (fee-paying, York). Farrington is especially prescriptive, not allowed to run an errand in your car during the day or eat food inside it!!

Hmmm, definitely something to check on closely when considering a fee-paying school!!

Surely it would be up to the local residents to get parking permits so that no-one can park there unless they have them, never mind whether they are from the sixth form. This is completely unenforceable by the school, the most they can do is ask the students to be considerate. All your son is doing is parking on a public highway and the school have no jurisdiction over that.

My eldest is in his 40s and his school wouldn't allow them to park within a mile of the school. I think that is reasonable, walking a mile isn't going tokill a healthy 17 year old, obviously if they have disability that should allow them a parking space. If you spread the cars our it doesn't bother people. Draw a circle a mile from the school, gives you a very large circumfrence to park on, over 6 miles of roads. To be honest I doubt anyone went out a measured the mile, you just knew not to park too close. As someone (sorry can't remember your name) said earlier on it is the crowded parking with people parking on junctions and really close both sides of a tight driveway that causes problems.

A nice brisk walk in the morning will ensure they are awake and ready to get started so its a win win.

OP could you have a drive down by the school one morning after school starts and just see if it looks reasonable? I picked my GC up from school yesterday and some of the parking by parents was terrible, I don't think they should be stopped from parking but the cramming into a space that means you are a few inches over someones driveway really isn't on.

Gosh its easy to see why some teenagers are bolshy when you look at the parents.

Going about your day perfectly legally and getting on with your life isn't being bolshy. Telling teens what to do because you personally don't like them or what they are doing is, however.

Really, just have a look at some of the attitude displayed on here. It isn't just a polite conversation. Some people being rude to other people, some ranting, yes ranting, not a good example. I have worked in HR all my working life and see these kids when they arrive at their first job and I see the ones who make it and the ones with the attitude who aren't going anywhere. You aren't doing kids any favours.

Its also worth remembering that the college will be writing references for uni or the first job. They can be very interesting when you know how to read between the lines. I know one teenager who didn't get any uni offers and couldn't understand it until one interview when he was asked why his referee from sixth form clearly didn't like him.

There is more to life than demanding your rights and stamping your little foot.

IME universities don't pay much attention to references: they go much more on interviews and results.

There is more to life than demanding your rights and stamping your little foot.

Why do you think this is what teenagers are doing?

The Op's ds has to travel miles to school. The bus costs £700. She got him a car, they can save money this way especially if he car shares. Seems reasonable to me if he is parking legally.

How can we expect these teenagers to gain valuable driving experience if they are never allowed to drive? If the public or school transport was better it would not be such an issue. Or if the roads were safer for cyclists. Years ago the buses generally were better and often people could affordably travel on the train too.

I started reading the thread and then got disheartened by the intolerance. Yes, the children should be able to park wherever they like if it's unrestricted, BUT as someone who lives on a road by a school where the sixth form use of cars has risen exponentially in the 7 years we have lived here, if even half of the children parked with some consideration - or, shock horror, parked two streets further away from our road, where residents have predominantly off street parking, there would be less conflict between school and residents.

We are currently campaigning to have our road made into a no through road (to stop rat running) and to have residents' parking only - which will force the students to park a few roads away and walk.....it's bliss at the moment because they are all on study leave, and we can all park outside our houses and not have to carry shopping/small children/stuff from two streets away.

(I am also campaigning in my town for safer cycle to school routes and lower speeds in residential areas - so those complaining about the parking/selfishness outside of their houses - go make some noise and try to effect change...!)

I think it's right that schools should discourage sixth formers from driving, and if they do drive I again think it's right that they should be strongly discouraged from parking nearby. However, I think it's totally unrealistic to try to ban it, not least because it is so easy to flout a ban, and having an unenforceable school rule weakens the effect of all the other rules. It is even more unrealistic for maintained schools to claim a right to exclude sixth formers for driving to school when to do so would mean those schools themselves would be breaking the law.

There is more to life than demanding your rights and stamping your little foot

Yes, and apparently its demanding a parking spot outside your house and stamping your foot until every one else lets you have it.

Could you have picked a more banal thread to try and turn into a discussion on your rights? ITs a historic wonderful day, get a fucking life! #MarRef #YesEquality

If he has a license, and a road worthy taxed and insured car, he DOES have a right to drive wherever he bloody pleases. And he can park wherever he bloody well pleases too, as long as he does so legally.
The rest is just nonsense. The school has no input here. The local residents feelings about parking have no input. Certainly the bizarre ranting of internet randoms have no input.

^^THIS!

You're talking rubbish. People don't just drive because they have forgotten what their legs are for, unhealthy, spoilt and lazy. You have zero evidence that the OP's son fits any of that criteria. Stop projecting onto other people. Do you make every life decision based on what is greener and healthier? Do you eat meat? Is your home more than zero-carbon? Do you buy things packaged in non-recyclable plastics? Do you ever take a bath instead of a shower? Do you buy new clothes when there are secondhand available in charity shops? Do you feel you have to justify yourself if the answer to any of those is "yes"?

+1

YABU.

So, what are you going to do OP?

You have had a mixed bag of opinions here.

I wouldn't be happy with this blanket ban.

We bought our daughter a car to travel to university a distance of 13 miles away as she wanted to stay local. We would not have been pleased if after a couple of weeks of driving to uni the university suddenly changed the goal posts.

I think those involved need to get a little committee together and speak to the head.

Hopefully, you can bring about a win- win situation.

Yabu, it is not illegal but it us antisocial.

It's a "fuck-everyone-else-approach"

No, its a "leave me alone I'm minding my own business" approach, actually.