Can your child walk to secondary school from your house?

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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?

No, she can't even get a bus without having to switch in the city centre. So I take her every morning it's a 9 minute drive and my mum drives her home.

I grew up in a village where the nearest secondary school was 6 miles away, so everyone took the (school) bus. I went to school in the centre of the closest city, so probably 45 minutes on a public bus.

Had we got into our closest school, then yes, they could have done. 20, 25 minute walk. But as they didn't get into it, they will be getting two buses amounting to just under an hour, or one bus into the centre of town and then a 29 minute walk out along a main road.

Not that we are bitter about it. 😁

Child in question is quite excited about it however.

Yes - it's 5 mins on his bike or 10-15 if he's walking with friends. This was a huge factor in where we chose to live, as I had to get a bus and a train to get to my secondary school, and I had no friends from my school near where I lived. It had a big impact on me as a teenager

DS walks less than 10 minutes. I'd be fine with bus travel as long as there were other children were travelling to school too. In your case the other children in the area would be in the same situation so the children would not be isolated. Or I would be fine with travel to a grammar where their friends would be from all over too.

Yes, 2.7 miles door to door and they walk there and back every day. I have only given a lift if they stay late in the evenings in the younger years (eg year 7-8 getting out of rehearsals at 9pm)
They don’t seem to mind but don’t know any different

Some of the boys bike to dd’s school as opposed to taking the bus. It would take at least 45 mins to walk and partly through countryside. Dd occasionally walks home with a group of friends in the summer time.

Our village primary school is a five minute walk away. The nearest high school is nine miles cross country.

No, it's a bus ride away and is for the vast majority of pupils (rural, vast catchment area).

Currently yes but we are about to move which will mean a short bus ride as we will be 5km away.

We live under a mile from school and I love that. Although I got the bus to school and loved that too!!

Mine could walk but it would take them a good hour. Instead they take the bus, it's a 10 minute ride.

Got to cut the cord sometime.

As someone who lives next to a secondary school (like 3 mins walk) If I had I’d my way I wouldn’t choose to live near one again, it’s awful tbh! I would avoid living too close to one. I use to get 2 buses to secondary school (and I live in London)

Our catchment secondary is about a 40 minute walk away, there's a school bus that leaves from just down the road though.

Yes, there are two secondary schools within a 15 minute walk from my house

DS takes an hour on the bus. He's boarding next year.

No, everyone gets the school bus here (rural) - nearest is 8 miles away in town.
We do have walkable primary (5-11) in nearest big village.

We’re semi rural all senior schools are a bus ride away at least 25 minutes along narrow lanes without footpaths. Thankfully there quite a number of options both private and grammar with private & public school buses running through the village. Although I’m already dreading the logistics of potential schools run to two different schools because the reality is that the buses don’t factor in after school activities.

Outer London borough. DD walks around 25-30 minutes. One of her friends walks around 45 minutes and another normally took a bus but now cycles as there are restrictions about numbers.

The latter one has parents who moved to have a link to said secondary and are miffed about transport, even before the restriction on busses. Well, they knew about the transport issues beforehand as it was fully established when they moved.

Walking for around 1/2 hour is not a problem in my opinion but we could drive DD if there was a downpour as DH works from home all the time.

There are two secondaries within walking distance from our house but we chose to send DS to an out of catchment school 23 miles away so no, he can't walk and gets the bus

Yes walked to primary then DD did a year at London secondary and could take up to an hour each way and then we moved rurally to village with secondary and its 5 minutes walk. So much better, gets that time on her day back and friends are close by. Lots of activities also at the school which she can walk to.

I would say a lot of people travel a bit though and schools can change so the secondary you want now may not be the one you want in 5-10 years.

Yes, my 12 and 13 year olds walk. It takes them about 20 minutes, or 15 if they’re rushing due to running late! It was fairly important to us when we moved house just before the eldest went to secondary, that they would be able to walk there. I’d heard horror stories about kids’ behaviour on school buses!

Yes - 10 minute walk to high school.

Nice change after having to get the bus to primary.

I would say it is more normal to travel and 10-15 minutes bus ride is very short! My kids took a 15 minute train (10 minute walk to station, 15 minute train, 20 minute walk). The nearest secondary school to the village is only about 10 minute drive but the bus takes a fair bit longer with all the stops.

We made it condition of our house choice that we could walk them to primary, but were more than happy with a bus ride to secondary.

Yes