How far is commute to a prep school?

[FraggleRockHopper]

We are looking at a school that would be 40 minutes away by car and I'm wondering how far others travel to get to the "right" prep?

Ha! I've outed myself as an American. I've lived here for 15 years but some words die hard. It is a traditional boys country prep, not an American school. We are leaving London. When we had a look at a different country prep they had a map of where all the families live and I was really surprised that lots were up to 45 minutes away. Maybe the more rural you get the more common long distances are? We don't love the area directly around the school which is why I'm trying to figure out how far is too far. The school does have quite an extensive bus system.

We have a DD coming behind DS so they will end up at different schools. I'm hoping we might be walking distance to her school.

Is this a school where lots/most of boys board in the upper years? Because it could be that they take more boys at 7+ as fleecy/weekly boarders. A lot that prepare for the top Boarding schools do.

My other top piece of advice is check the actual commute times at school run times. I have found places near me that being crafty I can get to in about half the time I'd have predicted, but equally there are some journeys that take at least double at school run times or even certain days of the week (Friday afternoon is awful).

Fleecy=flexy

No boarding at all. It's one of the reasons we chose it. I think we might have to rent first to check out the actual commute times.

You have to bear in mind the 'country mile'. It takes a lot longer to get anywhere behind a tractor/ in a flock of sheep/ on very narrow roads behind the postie on a bike... You need to check the state of the actual roads you would be using- a map can't tell you how long it will really take.

I'm not sure why you would choose a traditional country prep specifically because it had no boarding. DS will never board, but the fact that he's at a boarding prep is great because it is so flexible. I can pick him up at 4.20/5/6 or 7.30pm every night. When he's older he can have sleepovers with his friends at school instead of home and they can camp in the grounds on Saturday nights in summer. They'll keep them if they're mildly ill because there are full time nursing staff in the San. They don't close for snow because staff live onsite. Amazing family atmosphere.

The school choice is made so boarding vs not is not really relevant to us. I'm not sure how you an have that discussion without someone feeling quite offended. It wasn't for us and we are happy with the school choice we've made. But I do really appreciate the country mile comment and will have to try it out for myself and see u less anyone is particularly knowledgeable about Oxfordshire traffic and villages. That would be really useful.

No, but I trust when you made your decision, you did understand that a child does not have to board at a boarding school? I can only think of 3 or 4 prep schools where boarding is mandatory and then usually only in years 7 and 8. Seems odd to rule out boarding schools when you wouldn't use the boarding facility anyway. Or do you object to the principle of boarding so deeply that you couldn't bear to use a school where that option was available to other families?

I understand you've made your choice by the way, just gently questioning why you are going to the lengths of relocating to an area you don't know for a school you don't actually want to live near, that you can't send both your children to.

I assumed your selection criteria must have been very tight in order to let your DS in for a long commute and lengthening his school day so much when he could do so many other things with that time. I wondered whether insisting that no pupil at the school boards is actually a good reason.

Personally, I would have chosen a school we all wanted to live near. Each to their own though.

There is literally no option for my DS other than to commute, whether that be on the school bus or whether that be in the car with a parent or grandparent. DS walks to school at the moment and it’s lovely but it’s a sacrifice that has to be made in order for him to get a fuller education. One of the schools I’m looking at finishes at 6pm or at 8pm with evening clubs. I don’t think there will be play dates after school but acknowledge that we will have to travel for birthday parties etc but we will likely be travelling for sports events every weekend anyway. I’m fully aware that travelling will be difficult but the alternative is that my DS stays at the state school and that’s just not happening as it’s a shambles!

Mine commute 30 mins each way which means at least 2 hours per day driving for me. It is hard, if they do something extra I can be there 3 times a day so 3 hours....

That said, I love where I live and I love the school but absolutely didn't want to move closer as they will only be there for a few years and I couldn't give up my house or local friends.

Which school is it in Oxfordshire OP? I have friends at Cokethorpe and they commuted for a year or so over an hour each way, it nearly killed them so they now live nearby.

Mumza and bus those are different scenarios as you didn't want to move. The OP is actively planning this commute! Unless it's a seriously specialist school in some way (although her DS is only going into Y2 so I don't know how she would know she needed that) I'm not sure the school can be so unreproducible that it's worth not creating the ideal 'package' when doing a full relocation for school.

daffodil Abingdon presumably. Only non-City, boys only day prep I can think of in Oxfordshire.

@daffodilsareyellow The school is Abingdon prep. Any advice on the local area and where we might look would be greatly appreciated.

You can disregard my countryside related comments as Abingdon isn't actually the countryside (I appreciate it might feel like that coming from London). You do not need to check what time the dairy farm crosses the cows over the only road between you and the school . Your issue will be how crazy the traffic is around Oxford all the time at rush hours. I would look to live between the A34 and A420 so you don't have to cross either. Although that will not help you when your DD starts school as presumably she will have to go into Abingdon or Oxford.

There are a lot of nice places to live a lot closer than 45 minutes from Abingdon Prep.

Ours is a 20 min rural drive, we’re looking to move closer

@Bekabeech could you recommend some? I think we are defaulting to looking in Oxford itself but more space for the kids would be great. We have family who will be relocating to Steatley which we liked too. But I think it's probably too far from the school.

Now, if you said you were moving to Streatley to use St Andrews, Pangbourne and Bradfield for both kids I would completely understand!