How much commute is OK to go to primary school?

[speedylolo]

Hi all
First thanks for all the info I was already able to find on this website

My DD is going to start reception in September 2025 and we are in the middle of choosing a school. One of our main concern is the level of fatigue from the commute
My husband and I work in Canary wharf and ideally would like to stay there due to our long hours. we are considering

a local state school we would be 10 min on foot from
2 school that are 25 and 30 minutes from where we live with use of the DLR or Elisabeth line and fairly minimal walking
a school on Russell square 15 min walk to lizzy line 15 minute of lizzy and another 15 minutes of walk.
We really like the school of option 3 but cost and more importantly commute fatigue are worrying us.
Is it reasonable for a soon to be 4 years old? We can cut down on school club and make sure she at least avoid transportation peak time in the evening by coming back at 3:30 but still...
I think 45 minutes school bus ride are not uncommon but the same in public transport is probably quite different. Any thoughts welcomed please

Also i have started to think that even though the independant schools are further, spending the whole day in a class of 16 is probably more relaxing than in a class of 30 so maybe that counterbalance some of the fatigue?
Thank you

.When my ds was in reception, we lived right next door to his school. We then moved and had a period of a few months waiting for a new school place in the area we had moved to. As such, we had to commute back to his old school. A 45 minute drive. He was exhausted. It was truly an awful few months. Personally I'd always want my dc to be at a primary which is walking distance from home. I'd also be thinking about what happens if they get sick and need picking up...happens more than you think... parents evenings, Christmas plays where you have to take them back for evening performances etc.

This. I'd go as local as possible.

Hi @speedylolo i think 45 minutes is a lot for a child. If you think about yourself post work sometimes the commute feels like it drains you, and a child has far less ability to regulate.
if you have local options I would take it.

45 minutes is far to long for primary but perfectly normal fur high school. As for the private school being more relaxing absolutely not , the academic pressure and homework will make your child even more fatigued.

Thank you
Just to give you an idea our DD currently is at nursery from 7:30 to5:30.
A nanny will leave with her probably a touch later than she does now and with a 3:30 finish she will be home a lot earlier than she does now.

Unless there's mitigating circumstances as to why the commute is so long (very rural or additional needs for instance) it's best to choose local - time varies a lot depending on location but 30 mins absolute max ideally 20

It's not just the commuting to school it's also proximity to seeing their friends from playdates and as they get older attending hobbies with them. Local is always preferable over almost every other factor in my opinion.

Good point thank you

45 minutes is a long commute for a child so small. It would also be a massive pain for parents evenings/ performances etc. I’d go for the closest one as long as it’s a good school.

It's quite interesting because a lot of children are at nursery full time so parents think school will actually be less tiring, but generally people say the opposite. School, despite the shorter hours, is for some reason utterly exhausting. Both mine used to come home absolutely wiped out

School isn’t like nursery - it will be much more tiring.

Go for the local one, for all the reasons pps have mentioned.

It sounds to me like you want to justify the one that is further away. If you love that school then you should move closer, not subject your child to an unnecessary commute twice a day for 7 years.

At 4 years old a 45 minute bus ride would be highly unusual. I live in a very rural area with the catchment school 5 miles away, the bus picking up from several villages and it still wasn't anywhere near that time.
Your child will be exhausted however small the class. In the cold, dark afternoons over winter when they've only just started you are going to want as short a journey as possible

My two siblings have both made the mistake this year of assuming that because their 3-4 year olds are used to 7.30 - 18.00 with a childminder, 8.30 - 15.30 at a school should be easier. Both children are exhausted every day. One of them regularly falls asleep during the 15 minute walk home (she isn't walking, obviously!). I remember from my own being younger that it was a good while before they weren't extremely tired by the end of the school day, and that was without a long journey. School is not like daycare, it is much more tiring.

A child at the top end of primary can usually cope with a longer commute, if they really have to; I wouldn't inflict it on a child in early years or KS1.

45 minutes in primary school is long but I think it is double.

Our longest school run in primary was 30 minutes. We walked. It was fine and was considered normal. Quite a lot kids had longer school rund as it was a cathedral school. They seemed happy enough.

I'd mirror this.
My DD started reception this year, having previously been in nursery 8-5 from 1 year old.

She is completely exhausted when I collect her at 3:20 and without fail falls asleep on our 15 minute drive home. We are in the process of moving so soon her school will be walking distance and would always recommend a local school. School just seems to wear them out in a way nursery didn't .

OP nursery isn’t comparable to school. Mine did full days in nursery (sometimes 12 hour days as I’m healthcare) but on starting school were exhausted. That’s a long commute - and it isn’t just for school days, but also weekend birthday party’s, play dates etc. Will you be able to facilitate those across London?

Is the local school that poor? Have you done the commutes yourself with her at school/rush hour? Maybe trial it (even once or twice) and see?

We did this with one of our school options: as an adult it’s a 10 min drive (but no parking so drivings not an option) or a 20 min walk - with my little people it took us FAR too long. It would have been our school of choice if we could cycle (but I’ve three aged 4&under and the oldest was too tired on trials after school to safely navigate her own bike and the busy roads). Trying it was the best thing we did. School we are at is a stones throw away and I feel so lucky everyday!

*edited for poor spelling.

I agree with this. It was the same for my DC.

If you’re looking at state schools you will need be in the catchment area of where you live. The local schools close to work won’t be suitable unless you live close to work.

schools catchments can be checked on the local authority website - this usually indicates the distances from school that children live that were allocated places.

We have a 20minute drive to school which is fine but in reception it was a little more challenging as child was very tired at the end of the school day.

The two first years of school our kids were done by 3pm.
It can be done with 45 min if the school is an absolute favorite. Just don't expect more of the child the first years. I would go easy with extra curriculum stuff if school run is long.

I agree with everyone, local (esp walkable) wins in primary (particularly infant years).
Mine were in childcare all day but were still exhausted by school - it's not the same as nursery and much more full on.

And yy would you even get into the one a 45-min commute away? Have you checked this? If it's a popular school I would think it unlikely to take from such a big area - you must be about 5-6 miles away?

Are there no other acceptable schools more local to you? That surprises me tbh as in the small city I live in, we had five perfectly good primary schools within a 30-min walk or maybe a 10-mi drive. In London surely there must be many more schools within a stone's throw of you.

It's not unusual to commute to a selective school for up to an hour after 4+ but ppl usually drive.
It depends on the child too - how healthy and active your DC generally is. Walking after school is going to be tough in any case.

Is it the French school you are looking at?

Go as close a ls possible

This sounds exhausting for everyone.

So you take her 45mins to school, then 45 mins back - twice a day. So three hours of your time travelling vs the local school.

We do commute 45 mins (yr 4 and 1 now) but they are in the car so if our youngest falls asleep in the car then it isn't a huge issue. Yr R this happened quite a bit but I don't think it's happened this term yet.

Agree with pp's saying school and nursery aren't comparable and that on starting school they're exhausted.

However - to add to this - ime the exhaustion that comes from 'starting' school is something that happens over and over in the early years.

Ds3 is 7. Loves school, no behavioural issues. But STILL now, the first week back at school after long holidays (so Xmas, Easter, Summer) is awful. He's an emotional puddle by 4pm in that week and good for nothing in the evenings. Whining, ratty, bursting into tears over nothing. Then he's absolutely fine again after a few days.

The thought of taking him for ten minutes somewhere in the car at those times is horrifying never mind trying to drag him somewhere on a bus or train.

The 'starting school' impact isn't a one-hit thing.