How long is your dc journey to school and how?

[Unoriginal43]

I’m looking at the independent sector in South London and wondering what your dc journey time is (so I can see if I’m being silly when looking at a new home)

So if you could help that would be great!

Age - Prep or senior
Journey time and what mode of transport
With or against traffic
Location

Obviously in cities and towns journey would be longer but distance might be shorter and the opposite in rural areas!

Thanks for the help!

Prep - 10min cycle or 15min drive (drive takes longer due to local traffic)

Primary was 20 minute walk in one direction.
Secondary is a 20 minute walk in the other direction.

Most of his friends come on trains and buses, many getting up at 6am to facilitate.

I think many peoples school commute that they post about on MN is too long.

Complex needs school. Ds aged 9. Goes in a taxi with an escort. We live rurally. Leaves at 7.30 to get there for 8.45 and back home at 4.10pm (finishes 3.10pm). He has done this for 4 years now and enjoys the taxi journey. Takes his iPad and headphones etc.

Senior, rural, 3 mins on foot.
Primary, rural, 5 mins on foot.

We weren’t going to have children when we bought this house, but the location has proven to be ideal !

South London.
Primary, just under a mile, walk in 20 min but since Covid often drive.

Secondary - walk 5 min to bus stop, bus for 10 min, 5 min walk. Takes 20-30 min usually but when buses were only allowing a few passengers and the promised 'school' buses didn't come, he ended up walking the whole way a few times (he walks home quite a bit, but that's downhill - to get there is uphill and takes 45 min).

We didn't get in to the closer primaries, and ds wanted this secondary which is a reasonable distance.

Semi rural location, DS13 - 40 min car journey (hates the bus!) DS10 - 10 min walk to village primary. He's starting (a different) secondary in September so fingers crossed he's happy on the bus otherwise it will be a similar length journey in the opposite direction.

State schools, village outside Cambridge.
Primary

Senior
5 minute train with 10 minute walk at either end
Against traffic
School located between 2 towns

Secondary yr 8, 2.5mile cycle there and back (cycle paths generally). Could walk bus walk but likes the exercise. Car if topping it down and convenient.

@Oblomov21
I guess it all depends on needs though right?

Sometimes circumstances mean that journey to school is longer than you would expect.

I walked to primary in 10mins and secondary in 20minutes but was in a city location.

My DC will go to an independent school and commute will depend on which one he gets into and where we can find a house.
Traffic is a nightmare depending on where you live also.

You need to include travel time when you weigh up pros and cons. My two do have long journeys; these are to grammar schools and they're really good schools. We live in a deprived area where the local schools aren't great. So it's worth it on balance.

However, they walked to school in primary and I wouldn't have wanted to do a commute at that age. They had local friends, they got home nice and early etc.

We're planning to move for work after ds' GCSEs and we'll be living close to a good comprehensive school with a big sixth form. Ds has said he's really looking forward to not travelling to school anymore. So it does have an impact...

Senior, 5 mins, some traffic, urban

Primary - South London

When we lived in London it was 45 minutes on the bus (2 miles but traffic was hideous). We moved out of London when DD was in Y1, but trains were constantly on strike or cancelled, DH and I worked in London and had no childcare or family locally, so we kept DD at her London primary and we all commuted. Journey was 1 hr 20 mins door to door.

Secondary - South London
DD does 90 minutes door to door - short walk to station, long train ride, change platform, short train ride, very short walk to school.

Our nearest secondaries were all well over an hour (we live rurally and the bus routes have us as one of the first pickups), so we decided it was better to do a longer commute for a school that specialises in DD's interests.

She's guaranteed a seat on the train and can get all her homework done, or watch a film, read a book during the commute. Her school has a huge catchment so she doesn't miss out on a local social life - she's also not the longest commute (which surprised me).

She's not a massive fan of early mornings, but it would be the same whatever school she went to unless we moved house.

8 min walk primary and 10 minute bus secondary.
Best decision we have made in educational terms - they are seldom tired and can do any club they want to, I never have to say no to a pick up. Very good for friendships too which gets more important as they get older.

Huge variation! In the city I guess they can be shorter but rural locations have it tough!

I’m on SE London and dc do

• 8 min walk to nursery
• 10 min walk to yr 6
• 35 min bus to secondary

We’re shifting to independent and you’ll find that many schools do a school bus if it helps

Primary - 15 minute walk
Secondary - 15 minute walk
Both roughly a mile away from home.

As others have said, me saying all my dc walked, both Primary and secondary, isn't particularly helpful for you.

What you have to do is look at the pros and cons of what is available to you.

If I've read it right you have neither chosen the school nor the house yet, so you need to decide which is the priority, and then look at options once you have secured the one you think it more important.

Primary, walk (takes about 8 mins)