Can your child walk to secondary school from your house?

[DarkGreen]

We are moving to a new area where the secondary school will be a 10 to 15 minute bus ride away from home for the kids and I feel funny about it. My kids aren't anywhere near secondary school age but don't plan on moving again.

AIBU considering only buying somewhere with a secondary/high school within walking distance or is it more normal they have to travel?

How far is 10 to 15 minutes on a bus? They could always cycle.

Ds gets a subsided school bus. It is around 3 miles away and he and friends walk home occasionally just for the walk, but it is a bit long for mornings.

I wouldn't see walking as necessary but would want somewhere with an easy bus commute if walking wasn't possible.

We lived 4 miles away and no pavements on fast bendy roads. Got the school bus which picked us up first and then headed through other villages for 40 mins, then to school. Lots of fun!

70% of pupils at the 1300 pupil school that my DS went to travelled to school by bus - including DS who had a 20 minute journey. Not sure why you think children should live near enough to walk. I went to school on the bus from age 4 - 18 (3 different schools)

@bunburyscucumbersandwich

No. Nearest school is 5 miles away and no pavements or paths as it's a rural location.

Same here. The school bus took about 15 minutes. With it being a large school with pupils coming from a wide area the council provided school buses that were for the pupils only, no members of the public could use them. What are your concerns?

My ds walks.... however to put it in perspective my ds's school have staff on bus duty at the end of the day due to the number of buses.

35min journey on school transport for mine. They love it with their mates. Also it means they leave home at 7.30 and reappear at 3.45 with no intervention from me whatsoever

DS not at secondary yet but both the local ones are walking distance, one about a 20 minute walk and the other about a 30 minute walk.

Live 5 minutes walk from the local comp, but pay for a bus to the next town as both DD and I thought the school would suit her better.

Yes it's a 15 min slow walk, I lived a bus journey away, we choose a house closer to the centre of our town so the kids could walk to school and easily meet friends but equally that isn't important to everyone.

Nope. 5miles but no footpath. All the kids get a designated school bus here. Its the norm.

Yes, though DS cycles, which I would have thought would also be an option for a 10-15 minute bus journey?

Free school transport (if you go to your nearest suitable school) kicks in for all over 8s at 3 miles, the assumption being that under that is doable without transport.

Having had my oldest all having to get the bus whrn we moved this was high on our wish list. Its meant our youngest has been withing a 5-7 minutes his last 3 schools. Its been lovely.

We live within walking distance (about 5 mins) from their catchment school but I would have never sent them there! Nothing but trouble and bad results.
They have a 1-hour bus journey each way (only 20 minutes by car!) plus a 15-minute walk to the bus stop and back but they love their school and are happy to do it.
They also love the independence of doing it and I can honestly say I do not miss the school run

My children went to high schools 5 miles from our house. My choice. They got public transport to and from school

No, it's 13 miles away. And it's their catchment school!

The nearest secondary to me is a 45 min walk, even though I live in a town, and there are several other secondaries but all at least that far to walk. So everyone who went to DD’s close-by primary gets a school bus, a public bus, a lift from a parent, or cycles to school.

I don’t have DC but live walking distance (30 minute walk) to the catchment secondary school so would definitely expect my future DC to walk. I walked a similar distance (10 years ago) and so did all my friends except a couple who got the bus and it was annoying to go to their houses after school so yes I’d definitely prioritise living close by.

Mine walk but 90% of kids bus in. We are in the suburbs of a major city. Have to say I like mine walking and in covid times its been a positive but given most of the school bus in clearly not an issue. We do end up with everyone here when school shuts early its snows some one loose their bus money but that's fine

20 mins walk but we live in a tiny very rural town and there are school buses to the local villages. I don't think it's an issue if there's transport there and back.

Yes but it's a good 45 mins and we give them lifts on music lesson days.

My children's friends get the bus. A lot depends on the timetable. The main disadvantage is they can only stay to after school activities if a parent can collect them by car at 4pm. In winter mine won't do clubs unless I collect them anyway, so arguably it's not that different.

all the teens cycle or walk to school - its 2 miles away in one direction and a mile an a half in the other - split area for secondary.

my dd2 got 2 busses to school as it was 3 miles away, its fine

Where i live the majority of both primary and secondary childten are bussed to school. Rural area, official council school buses. Anyone whonlives 1.5 mikes (primary) or 2 miles (secondary) and attends their nearest or catchment school is provided with free home to school transport.

Yes, 20-25 min walk

We’re 5.5 miles from secondary. No pavements, along a busy A road in a rural location. So, no walking to school.