Is this journey too long for an 11 year old to take each day?

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I'm at the stage where I'm considering secondary schools for DD. We have 2 choices, let's call them school A and school B. A is a 45 minute walk and is a poor performing academy with poor GCSE results and a bad reputation. It is under subscribed and considered "rough", attracting a lot of pupils from poorer areas. On the plus side, it has great facilities and I would probably be able to drive and collect DD most days as it's close to my workplace.

School B is 11 miles away. It gets excellent results, is single sex, and has an outstanding OFSTED. DD would need to go on the bus each day. This would mean leaving home at 7.20am (bus stop is 10 min stroll from our house) and not getting home until 4.30pm.

DD is bookish, quite academic and certainly a "trier", quite unworldly and young for her age, and quite a tomboy. She likes her sleep and struggles with making friends due to a lack of confidence.

My questions are ; is the journey to school B too much? She will have homework and school clubs to factor in as well. But school B is a better fit for DD in lots of ways.

In my situation, which school would you be inclined to choose?

B, definitely. It is very doable. Could you look at trains, perhaps to cut down the commute? My friend's son goes to a school that would be an hour away by bus but train does it in about 15 - 20 minutes with a ten minute walk at the other end.

Is moving an option? Whilst I agree with others that the school day/journey time is doable if it has to be done, your DD will just have so much nicer of an experience if she doesn't have to do it!!

That said, have you actually looked around School A? And is local hearsay from people who actually have children there? You may find the reality is nothing like the stories!

School B. (former teacher here).

School B. And she can get her school reading done while sitting on a bus, something the can't do while walking!

Sounds similar to the journey I made to school each day. Never thought anything of it. Only downside is she could live quite far from friends so be prepared to act as taxi. But doesn't sound like your other choice is particularly close

School B. Commute doesn't sound that bad at all!

How sure are you that you would get a place at B if you opt for it? Outstanding schools with excellent results tend to fill up with children who live a lot closer than 11 miles away.

School B for me too.
That sort of journey is very common in rural areas and children all cope well.
The trade off is a great school with great results. It wouldn't take me long to decide TBH.

Also, the decision you are taking is not just for the start of Y7 but for all the years after. She will be much better at school when she prepares her GCSE in a few years time (and it comes pretty quick!)

School B. Never inflict a rough school on you DC unless you absolutely have to. It's depressing to see the triers overwhelmed by and unnoticed because of the disruptive element. It happens straightaway especially if your child is middle ability.

My daughter went to school A, I bitterly regretted it and moved her in year 9.

She will be fine with the longer day and there will be others doing the journey.

School B. I went to a single sex grammar school, it was 3 miles from my home and I cycled. Left at 8am each day, got back around 4:15pm. Most of the other girls came from surrounding villages, arriving each day by bus, so they'd have had similar timings/journeys to what you are proposing.

I didn't have problems making friends, even though they were then dotted over the county! We either used public transport to meet up in the main town, or my parents would drive me to the more rural friend's houses.

7:20 to 4:30 is nothing. DC have done similar.

I rejected a school that meant 6:55am-5:45pm out of the house. Plus they promised 1 hr of homework a night.

School B but keep any after school activities to a minimum.

Do you know if anyone else that she knows in your area is going to the B school?

School B. Little sister currently leaves at 7.20 and gets home around 4.45 they soon get used to it & it becomes the norm. Goodluck!

School B, I went to a single sex grammar school about 13 miles from home, bus at 7:30 home at 4:45 each day, it was fine, my brothers went to the local(ish) comprehensive, it was awful. If is a selective school with a large catchment she wouldn't be the only one making that journey every day.

Dd finishes school every day at 6pm & gets home at 7.30pm. It's hard but do-able

I did a similar journey throughout secondary school. it was in general fine and I actually quite liked having the bus journey as a mental space between home and school. The downside was that it was difficult to meet with friends so my parents did a lot of driving. However, as a child who was definitely not one of the cool girls, I actually really valued my home being my home. I could go out and about, wear what I liked, without any fear of running into people from school who might make life hard for me.

Back in the day some 30+ yrs ago my school (a grammar) saw lots of us take a 10 mile+ journey often via 2 buses. That's how it was because if the school is good and suits your daughter it's what need to be done. If it all goes well that trip will be forgotten about in 10 years. We used to have regular friends from different schools who made the same journey back to our town

Yep Pedalleur that was me. An hour and twenty minutes on the bus to school each way. The only draw back was the lack of social life as I was too far away to go out with school mates after school and at weekends. Something to consider perhaps OP.

School B assuming she gets in. I would be surprised if such a good school weren't oversubscribed though.

If she is bookish she'll be happy with the time on the bus to read, just make sure she remembers to get off.

My son had to go to the school A because of his learning difficulties, he was too vulnerable to do a public transport but not statemented so didn't get transport. He did really well there, as did a lot of his classmates that also live in social/council housing. As in passing GCSE's with A"/ A's and B's

His academy had a bad reputation, but sometimes you have to go and see somewhere to decide for yourself. I knew parents in his junior school that wouldn't even go and look at it as a choice, put them in another school that had just the same problems, despite having a 'good' reputation.

If only people would put their kids in their local school - then you get a mixture of all abilities/backgrounds and things would be a lot fairer.

An hour bus vs 45 minutes walk aren't much difference. Obviously bus is more weather friendly!

I'd go for the school that fits your DD best. Which has clubs she'd enjoy, which has a peer group she can integrate with, which offers subjects at GCSE she'd want to do?

Is the academy in special measures? Never rule out a school that's here - they often get funds thrown at them and also offer far more because they have to improve.

I'd go to both with an open mind and a list of questions. Look at answers to your questions and look at the feel you for for the place. Best to visit on a normal school day as well not just an open evening where they advertise their successes!

not at all - my school journey from 5-18 was 12 miles I think, was driven until I was 10 then I used to walk to the station (10mins), train 20mins then walk 20-25mins. daily. It was fine, you get used to it. I used to get home about 5pm.

I chose b in a similar scenario.

DD whines about the journey and is a bit cut off from her peers but I 100% made the right decision.