AIBU to consider a 19 mile journey for secondary school place?

[Felicityfarewell]

Little background -
We rent and will be forever probably
We are practising Catholics
I drive as does my husband
Okay so long story short we live in Horsham, have done since birth of son now approaching year 6.
He is at a catholic primary as is his sister who goes into year 5 come September.
We don't have any catholic schools here, most seem to go onto st Wilfred's in Crawley which I really disliked on the visit, a few to burgess hill ( no idea why, that school is in the middle of nowhere ) or they then leave faith schools behind and go to a non faith one.
I really want a catholic secondary and I've looked at both sir philip howard in barnham, really liked it but personally wouldn't like to go any further away from London ( where I grew up ) than here so seems daft as would never want to live there, but fell in love with St. Andrews in leatherhead.
It's mixed unlike a few other catholic schools in surrey which is important as their age gap is only 1 school year, and my husband grew up in Epsom so very familiar with the area etc.
trouble is that it's 19 miles from our home address, not even half an hour driving as all pretty fast roads or 25 mins on a direct train however only 6 children not living locally got in last year so the safest thing to do would be to move that way when our tenancy expires in September so that we stand a good chance but the downside is then commuting for 2 years ( including son and daughter ) to Horsham as wouldn't want to disrupt them and very doubtful any of the catholic schools would have a place.
We will without a doubt go from a 3 bed house to a 2 bed flat / house maybe for the rental price we can pay ( £1,200 a month ) taking out petrol likely to cost a good £100 a month doing the journey and that's one way as in I'll stay in Horsham for the day, collect daughter and then son on way home kind of thing. Am I being ridiculous considering it? Lots of friends think it's just too far to do for 2 years, husband thinks the cost is too high but agrees in principal and as we are renting it would only cost a few hundred pounds with referencing fees and a van.
What do you all think?

Oh is this Bognor again?

Seemingly so.

I would just move to Barnham then. There are tons of teens there, two big secondaries, fast trains to London, Chichester, Horsham, Portsmouth etc. cheaper rentals and good Catholic primaries there and in Arundel. Really not that rural at all.

I did a similar journey for 5 years to take up a grammar school place. At 11 to 16 I travelled on the 7:20am bus to get to school by 8:45am. I loved the school but I had NO social life as I had to leave on the dot every day to make the bus connections. No after school activities and real problems if school finished early (we were prone to bad fogs off the river). The distance is possible but it comes at a cost to the child.

It's Groundhog Day

Exactly. Horsham schools are my catchment but I'm sending my kids to Crawley schools because that's right for them. Some Crawley schools are good, don't be prejudiced.

If you're going to do it move your DD into a local primary as soon as you get there so she at least can walk to school and home - she'll, at least, have the stress taken off her for 2 years. That way too you'll only have to take your DS for a year before - hopefully - he gets into the school of your choice.

I'd also be asking around at the current school does anyone travel that way so you can either share the commute or pay something towards their costs - you say your DH can do 2 days, if you can find another parent going that way they can do 2 days and you can do one or a combination.

A two bed flat with teenagers would be hell. It'll be small for a start so the rooms will be close to each other. Once they reach 14 they won't want to go to bed before you, especially in the holidays - it'll be midnight before they do.

I have no intention of moving there to get the place and then moving back here.
I don't have anything to keep me here, my husbands family are much closer to leatherhead anyway.
If I knew we would be one of the 14 that got in this year out of catchment I would move next September just as he starts school and one year of travelling would be fine considering it is only 3 days a week and I could easily fill that with visiting mum / friends / going to the gym / volunteering in daughters Horsham school.
It's just the worry of us not getting it, 14 out of 180 places isn't much at all.
I'm not shooting anything down, I'm asking for honest opinions but the comments about the amount of bedrooms is somewhat boring now as this will be the same wherever we live. We can't pay more than £1200 a month and very rarely have I seen a 3 bed here for that price and if I have it's the other side of town from school so then you have to factor in more petrol costs etc.
We won't be sleeping on a floor, we have bought a large corner sofa that also pulls out into a large double bed.

^ so what's the dilemma, then?

Oops, hit 'post' too soon. Your mind is made up, what do you want people say to you?

Your mind is made up, what do you want people say to you?

Nobody knows but I hope to fuck that we find out soon and maybe this recurring nightmare will stop. Please. Someone make it stop.

I'm asking for honest opinions but the comments about the amount of bedrooms is somewhat boring now as this will be the same wherever we live.

If its boring stop posting threads about it. No matter how many times you post, people will generally say the same thing.

No one can actually give advice as you keep changing the details. You have made up your mind, mn don't need to approve your plan.

You have changed several in this one thread alone.

OP from what I see online the PAN for Sept 2015 at St Andrew's was 150 and only about 30 of those were kids who did not go to a feeder school or already have a sibling.
This all sounds like a bit of a gamble to me, especially as the birth rate is definitely not in your favour.

That's what I said, 22 children were not in the feeder schools or live within the Epsom deanery.
I actually just spoke to the admissions manager at the school and she seemed to think 22 was quite high and that there would be no need to move to secure a place!

Ah think I understand why now!
We would come as number 5, baptised Catholics not living in the Epsom deanery but number 9 for instance was non catholic children who weren't in the feeder schools but did have a sibling were granted 17 places so theoretically we would come above those no matter where we lived

It is "boring" because you are so blinkered to opinions of those, many of whom have older children, suggesting that your living arrangement won't work . You can get 3 beds for 1200 a month if you were prepared to compromise just a little on area.

Op you are not listening to any of the posters on here and I don't understand why. The bedrooms, the travel and the school just don't work. We cannot find a magic solution for you. I think the most simple idea would be to put your children in a non faith school and if you need to, step up with the religious teaching at home and at church.