Journey vs school

Bluey4 · 2023-06-27T09:44:26+00:00

My local school is 'fine' and 20min walk. The 'slightly better' comp is 45min bus ride and £50 a month for the bus pass. I'm really torn as i *think* the difference is marginal but i wont forgive myself if i choose the less good school and it isn't good. But is it worth the cost and time? (Child has friends going to both)

lanthanum · 27/06/2023 11:11

The "better" one might turn out not to be best for your child. Choose the nearer one, and you'll have the bus money to put towards a tutor if there turns out to be a problem with a particular subject at any point.

Deepintheheartofbooks · 27/06/2023 11:16

Consider after school activities, what bus would they get home then, how dark would it be, is there a chance that the bus route could get cancelled? (happened for my local sixth form but we drive Ds so didn't affect him) Are the buses reliable in bad weather? How often are those buses? If one doesn't turn up how long to the next one? I used to catch 2 buses to school and hated every minute of it. Took me almost an hour to get home.

Potential friends possibly being much further away if the school is further away. Ds's school was a 20 minute walk, he was on the edge of the catchment, his friends were all on the opposite edge of the catchment meaning they are a 40 minute walk away. How far would friends be if the school is already 45 minutes away from you?

redskytwonight · 27/06/2023 13:38

Go local unless real tangible benefit in going further.

Your child will have lots of benefits from going to the local school - less time spent on the bus, friends more likely to be local, can spontaneously make plans that don't have to factor in bus times, not a pain to go back for evening events ...

VikingLady · 27/06/2023 14:04

As a kid who changed schools a lot, I'd say go with whichever feels friendliest to your kid. The one with the best behaviour. Honestly? The best teaching and the best resources in the world don't help if you're scared of the rowdy kids.

Original poster

Bluey4 · 27/06/2023 14:06

I completely agree @VikingLady . I am using good as a synonym for good behaviour. I have no idea what the resources are like. Thanks for the reply.

OP posts:

jalio · 27/06/2023 21:03

We have a similar dilemma and will be going for the slightly further school. The bus is actually free for us but the cost wouldn't have affected the decision either (and we're aware we're lucky to be able to say that). I think 45 mins on a bus is fine, especially if it's a comfortable journey (e.g. runs reliably, can get a seat etc). And we have plenty of other transport options so not completely reliant on it (agree it's important to have a plan B, even if that means you going to collect or paying for taxi).

CorpusChristi · 27/06/2023 21:09

I think 45 minutes on a bus is ok. I imagine the school isn’t that far away but these buses go everywhere. I would choose the school that seems best for your child. Proximity is great if there are decent teachers and minimal disruption, but there’s no point if it’s rubbish. I would have a look around both and do a lot of talking to current parents.

Hinty · 28/06/2023 20:30

We chose the better comp with the journey over the fine comp with a 20min walk and do not regret it a bit. But we were pretty certain that it was the better school for our child in terms of the school culture. I do give strategic lifts every so often when the bus gets a bit too much.

redskytwonight · 30/06/2023 08:28

Hinty · 28/06/2023 20:30

We chose the better comp with the journey over the fine comp with a 20min walk and do not regret it a bit. But we were pretty certain that it was the better school for our child in terms of the school culture. I do give strategic lifts every so often when the bus gets a bit too much.

Does the "we" in that statement include your child?

My parents also chose the "better" school with the journey over fine walking distance local comp. They also do not regret it at bit and are very happy that it was the better school for me. My own feelings (even with the benefit of hindsight and having had my own children) are rather different.

I understand why my parents chose the school they did. But they were not the ones having to travel every day without any local friends.

Hinty · 30/06/2023 08:40

redskytwonight · 30/06/2023 08:28

Does the "we" in that statement include your child?

My parents also chose the "better" school with the journey over fine walking distance local comp. They also do not regret it at bit and are very happy that it was the better school for me. My own feelings (even with the benefit of hindsight and having had my own children) are rather different.

I understand why my parents chose the school they did. But they were not the ones having to travel every day without any local friends.

Show quote history

Yes the child made the choice in our case and we were very happy with his decision. He went with a couple of good friends and the school seem to have strategically placed people from similar areas in the same classes. Meaning that new friends he has made don't live too far away.

I think a bus journey to an out of town school doesn't have to be a negative. We're also looking at the positives of independence, problem solving and resilience building that comes from taking a public bus every day.