To think the 3 mile rule for school transport is unfair and not fit for the current time?

[WellThatsMeScrewed]

My eldest does not get transport to her secondary school because we live 2.89 miles away from her secondary school. Supposedly she can walk this.

It would involve crossing 3 lots of dual carriageways, walking along a unlit busy road.

It’s just not fair.

The 3 mile rule is from some archaic time where there was hardly any traffic.

Can you pay for your daughter to use the school bus OP?

I am really surprised that 3 miles is the cut off, that's a pretty long way. I don't know anyone who walked an hour to school and back.

It's meant to be a walkable route-not just based on distance (or it is here) so you could appeal and send it evidence that the route is not walkable particularly if she could walk further up the road and hop on a free bus. It's certainly worth a try.

Is there a bus you would have to pay for? If so then I guess if it's that unsafe you'll need to find the money rather than risk your daughters safety. I pay £5 a day for each of my two children-190 days in school doesn't work out cheap at all but I've got no alternative.

Exactly, the typical poster appears to live in built up area with all amenities in easy walking distance with long opening hours

I'm surprised also that the why can't she go on a bike contingent aren't more evident

“Nobody should have to cross a dual carriageway - at any age, time of day or weather”

erm , sorry, what?

The home to school transport rules make little sense, and vary from council to council.

My yr 7 was refused help last year because the council's computer calculated that there was a school .3 of a mile closer....using a 7 mile walking route over a toll bridge, through an industrial estate and along an unlit path next to a river. This is despite the bus route taking about 20 minutes longer than it would to the school he is at, where other local children have always received help with transport. I walked part of the suggested route myself, and was so upset at the thought of any child being expected to do it in the dark, every day.

When I asked the council for a risk assessment of the route they suggested, I received an email to say that a bus pass was in the post! I have applied again this year and wonder what the excuse will be this time.

Omg stop being a helicopter mum!
Time for your kid to grow up and learn how to navigate this world fore themselves.

This is why in primary school you teach them about safety and roadrules.

But you chose where you live so parents make arrangements rather than the state organising everything. Our primary is 3 miles by road but as the crow flies it’s less than 2 - I can’t walk across the airfield that divides us. I accepted that when buying our home. On the plus side, we took the longer Primary school route but secondary is walking distance with only cul de sacs to cross. We made these choices as parents.

Don’t be ridiculous! No they shouldn’t. OP YANBU .

We're lucky that where we live we get the free bus to our nearest secondary school and my DD starts in September. However half a mile down the road on the outskirts of our village has a different 'nearest school' and if you live there you can get the bus but it's not free. I have a friend who lives a village along who will need to pay £2k a year for her two children when I get it for free! It does feel unfair as our children attended a feeder primary school together (if you put the secondary first choice and you attend the feeder primary you're guaranteed a place).

Is there not a bus you could pay for?

It sounds like it's not the distance but the safety of the route, I wouldn't be happy with that route either op, bit different to 2.9miles of lit town roads. Some other posters have suggested ways to get this assessed so wishing you luck with appealing it.

What is unfair is calculating school distance "as the crow flies". Children aren't crows and they don't fly over buildings. It makes sense to calculate distance based on walking/road routes from the house, as you would get on "directions" on Google maps etc.

Definitely appeal. All students who live in the village a mile and a half away from our school get free transport because there is a dual carriageway between their village and our town. We have had a couple of kids killed attempting to cross that road.

Because they live further away? Why can she not get a bus?

We all have to do this absurd dicking about with the clocks twice a year and one of the justifications always given is so that children don’t have to walk to school in the dark. So I’ve assumed they are not walking in the dark, or why do we bother?!

Mine gets the bus. If she didn’t, I’d drive her. It’s just over three miles, which I think is too far to walk twice a day on the regular. I wouldn’t find time to commute for two hours a day, and I don’t expect my child to, either, especially in British weather. She’d arrive soaking wet lots of days, there’s nowhere for them to change, and she’d have to carry two bags, all her books and lunch etc. I wouldn’t bloody do it! I have dogs and walk for an hour every day. I know how bloody miserable it can be, and it’s hard to find the time. And I can shower and change when I get home.

If they had lockers and changing rooms, I’d get her to cycle, at least when the weather was ok. I’m s for encouraging kids to be active, but in think an hours walking a day should be the max expected. Adults don’t do it.

In fairness that sounds like an issue that should be addressed outside of just accessing schools (bridge crossings, underpass). I imagine there would be more reasons for people (teenagers especially) to want to access a town from a village.

But you are assuming all drivers follow the road rules. It's all well and good teaching your 10 year old to look both ways, but it takes no time for a car doing 90 on a dual carriageway to suddenly appear when it's too late.

I didn't know school buses were free to anyone, assume they paid for the bus pass like everyone else. I live rurally and do drop off but to breakfast club so assume this us really only used if you have a sahp as a bus from home means a parent must be home.

As in there are specific school buses for secondary school but I wouldn't think they were free, routes do change a bit yearly to accommodate intake.

Unfortunately walking across unlit roads is not safe, especially not for girls and women and no way in hell would I be letting my kids do that twice a day in the heart of winter.

but it takes no time for a car doing 90 on a dual carriageway to suddenly appear when it's too late

a car shouldn’t be doing 90mph anywhere, on that logic no where is safe to cross because arseholes speed. That’s not a proportionate or realistic expectation to plan by.

I don't understand your post. You say that thousands of children have to get a bus to school but also that it's impossible to live near a bus route. How do those children get to school?

Omg stop being a helicopter mum!
Time for your kid to grow up and learn how to navigate this world fore themselves.

How is not wanting your child to walk home in the pitch black with no paths being a helicopter parent.

I feel sorry for your kids.

Oh that's a nightmare walk! Glad they sorted it.

Firstly, it is 3 miles by the shortest safe walking route. If there is no safe walking route that is less than 3 miles you should get free transport.

Secondly, of course there has to be a cut off. Do you really believe that someone living 50 yards from the school should be entitled to free transport? If not, clearly a line has to be drawn somewhere.

We dont know if its fair it might be a very long street