Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

How long is your school run?

109 replies

CPHB2021 · 09/01/2024 16:50

We've sold our house and are looking for a new place, currently staying with family. Our son is at school and daughter starting this year. We're very happy with the school and will not be moving them. My question is how far do you drive for a good state school? I want to be able to still have friends back and continue to do local clubs. Is 20 mins too far? We're currently doing 18 minutes from my MIL and it doesn't seem too much but would it be too much twice a day, for 7 years plus?

OP posts:
Dacadactyl · 09/01/2024 16:54

Depends. I'd have driven for 45 mins to reach my DDs high school if I had to. In the event, it was only 20 mins drive away.

Primary school was 7 mins drive including traffic.

brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr · 09/01/2024 16:55

5km each way by car, so 20km per day - adds up pretty quickly too

NitsGalore · 09/01/2024 16:58

4 minute walk here and I love it, I wouldn't want to have to drive to school at all ideally if we were to move.

PuttingDownRoots · 09/01/2024 17:00

Had a variety of different commutes. My least favourite was the driving one. It could be 10 minutes on a good day, and 40 on a bad day. Always had to allow extra time for pick up just in case. Roadworks blocked the direct route for months, the diversion took ages (due to volume of traffic on it!). Parking was horrendous.

We currently live 2 minutes walk from Primary and 5 minutes walk from Secondary and mornings are a lot calmer.

Snoozymoozy · 09/01/2024 17:04

2 minutes walk and absolutely love being able to leave 5 minutes before start time!

Benibidibici · 09/01/2024 17:05

Honestly i think its much much better if primary aged children live walking distance to school.

Most of their peers will and you will find your children are somewhat on the edge when other class mates live around the corner and are in the same football club, same scout group, same ballet class etc.

It becomes administratively difficult to do those local activities when they all involve a drive. You'll also find you can't expect anyone to ever help you in a crisis - ive had loads of times someone's walked my kids home from school for me, ive done the same for others because we all live a few mins walk from each other.

If you haven't found a place yet why not look near the school? If you aren't you are potentially depriving a local child of a place at their nearest school.

LightSwerve · 09/01/2024 17:06

I wouldn't want to drive.

Biscuitsandpizza · 09/01/2024 17:06

I'd also consider how early you need to be at the school in order to park close by. E.g., if the drive takes 20mins, but you also have to get to the school 15mins before start/finishing time to get a parking space that doesn't then also involve a 5-10min walk, you're then needing to leave home 35+ mins before start/finish time.

I'd also think about longer term and secondaries, and are DC able to get there independently.

Benibidibici · 09/01/2024 17:06

In my son's class only two out of 30 children are brought by car. Both have SEN and have arrangements at the school that are difficult to move (they've moved house since starting at the school).

The rest all live within a 15 min walk.

Original poster
CPHB2021 · 09/01/2024 17:07

For context, we have always driven and I would say at least 40% of the school parents drive. Often we are going on to work, and dropping at wrap around care so driving isn't an issue, it's just a case of how long starts to become an issue, if that makes sense. Previously the drive was about 10 minutes.

OP posts:
Original poster
CPHB2021 · 09/01/2024 17:08

Parking is ample at school so fortunately can always get a space, even if you're running late ( which is never me, obviously 😏 )

OP posts:
anothernamechangeagainsndagain · 09/01/2024 17:09

Unless you are rural (with school bus) I'd want to be within a 10 minute walk. Mine took themselves year 4 and upwards and all their friends were local

GaroTheMushroom · 09/01/2024 17:09

20 min bus ride and hate it, the bus is always packed never get a seat, been trying to convince my kids to move schools to one literally on our road! (I didn’t choose this school we moved and it was the only one with space) they don’t want to move schools 😩

AyeRightYeAre · 09/01/2024 17:10

Primary 1 minute walk to the bus stop
Secondary 10 min walk.

phoenixrosehere · 09/01/2024 17:11

7 min walk for DS2, may shorten to 3-4 min walk due to a new school been built down the street from our home, taxi picks up DS1 (SEN school), 20 min drive w/o traffic. On waitlist for local SEN school under 10 min drive but can take a local bus to get to it from ours if need be and there is a bus that goes through our area to do pick-ups.

TenderChicken · 09/01/2024 17:12

4min walk to school for us.

20min is too far. You won't be part of the local community. You won't be able to do playdates. It seems completely undesirable to me.

APurpleSquirrel · 09/01/2024 17:13

We're rural - it's a 5 minute drive or a 40min walk across muddy fields and along a busy A road & single track lanes. Thankfully there is parking across from the school. About 95% of pupils are driven in due to the rural location.

rollonretirementfgs · 09/01/2024 17:13

Ours is about 1hr 15 round trip, twice a day. It's a faff but you get used to it and it's so worth it if you are happy with the school

SoIRejoined · 09/01/2024 17:14

I would look at the secondary situation- you could find out that they can't get into the school all their friends are going to if you live far out.

Lonelycrab · 09/01/2024 17:15

Mine is 2 miles to his secondary. His primary was about 4 so I’m happy to be burning less petrol. It takes around 7-8 mins each way.
I've found that the difference between quite an easy drive, traffic wise, and almost gridlocked is about 5 minutes, so now we go a little bit earlier and it’s so much easier.

Sunflower8848 · 09/01/2024 17:15

1 hour, the kids get the school bus.

elliejjtiny · 09/01/2024 17:16

30-40 minutes round trip if it's just the younger ones. 1 hour 20 minutes roughly if we are taking ds1 as well. Nearest schools so no choice to go nearer.

Sixgeese · 09/01/2024 17:16

Mine is 20 minutes each way on a good day with no traffic. I am on my 8th year of doing it, and my 3rd child is in Y10 so still almost 4 years to go. (eldest has now left and middle is L6th)

Most of the time it is ok, we have lift share with another family, but still it takes up a lot of time each day.

The problem comes when they get detentions, we have meetings at the school , or they forget something and you get a call asking to drop it to the school for them or they want to go out with their friends from school, so at times it seems that I drop one load of children home and have to turn straight back around to pick up another.

Covid was horrid, staggered school starts and ends for the different year groups, and my lift share had medical issue so I did them for months.

We do have a public transport option but that takes them 90 minutes , 2 buses and a bit of a walk.

There is a lot to be said for sending your child to a local school they can walk to, but I don't regret our choice as the school is a lot better that the local ones.

rollonretirementfgs · 09/01/2024 17:16

Also, reading other people's comments about being out of the school community. It depends if it's the type of school people are happy to commute to. Ours is a private school so most of the kids travel from all around so makes less difference to us. But I totally get what people are saying about you being the only ones that don't live in the area, might be isolating

Chickpea17 · 09/01/2024 17:16

5 minutes it's great