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

Both mine went to FT nursery or pre-school but were absolutely shafted everyday after they started school and this lasted the whole of the reception year. If you have a good school a 10 minute walk away I would go for it as the walk will help you daughter calm down after a busy day. My DS is in Reception at a school a 10 minute drive away. He often falls asleep in the car after 2 minutes!

I've just realised from rereading your post that (I think) the further away schools are private, so I guess it's not about whether or not you would get a place, apologies.

I still think that the suggested commute is too far. I think the benefits of a short walk and local friends, not to mention the money, would for me massively outweigh the advantages of the private school. Or are there no private schools you like that are nearer?

I am in rural Scotland, a world away from London. 2 of my kids went to out of catchment primary which was a 10 min car journey along a fast rural road (about 8 miles from home)

I'd also say think about friendships too - you need to be running back and forth out of area for all the party invites etc that are so frequent at primary.

Going to pals' houses after school. If this is a thing in London? We have a lot of sahms round here during pre school and primary years so i did need to build a new social life around that out of catchment school.

I was back and forth multiple times some days. Though a lift share got going quite early on which helped.

What about the Lyceum School? It’s an independant That’s where a lot of Canary Wharf staff send their kids.

Not all independent schools are the same.

Different strokes for d

Different strokes for different folks. Those saying 45 mins is too long... says who?? Not everyone is lucky enough to have a close by school that's good. In the 80's we got sent to the closest school, nowadays parents are more interested in how good the schools are rather than how close. My school run is an hour and a half round trip. I think it's worth it as the school dc are at is excellent. All depends what your priorities are.

Of the nanny's time & that's not unusual.

@speedylolo for the commute I'd go as local as possible. It's a bonus in so many ways if she can walk.

However, there's SO much more to choosing a school. If you can comfortably afford private, I'd do that. If not I'd look for the closest best school.

At primary school and your children’s age, I would pick the closest one, providing the state school is semi decent. The bonus of less commute, fatigue and friends living nearby to play with would be game changers for me.

My 4 year old son currently goes to a private school that is a 15 mins drive away, but his friends are spread out across the city and we end up driving everywhere. If our state school had performed alright, he would no doubt have gone there.

It would be different for secondary school, but at 4 years old I don’t think it’s worth it.

Tbf for a lot of parents, a round trip of three hours a day to get the DC to and from school is not possible due to working commitments, or even caring for other DC (who we might not want in the car for that long).

Even if I didn't work, I can't imagine preferring a school that far away (would be 25+ miles from me) and taking on that school commute daily.

I’m just across the river in Greenwich, and tbh a bit amazed at the idea of a childhood living in Canary Wharf and commuting halfway across London to school. My kids walked to the school locally. So many summer afternoons with impromptu after school trips to local parks and each others houses. It’s about way more than the commute - local friends means it’s so much easier for play dates and parties as well as last minute plans. It means you bump into friends and acquaintances at local shops etc.

Mine were at nursery not quite full time but almost and were not fazed by starting school, contrary to most people here.

That said, I wouldn’t have a 45min commute for primary. Our quality of life was vastly improved by having our primary school on our doorstep.

It is indeed one of the 2 schools mentioned as 25-30min away ;)
did not really fancy giving names in case someone is reading...

Thank you vm everyone for your advice.
A nice local life bumping into friends and going to the park sounds nice but that s not too often the case in central london. and i believe a lot of central London independent prep school would have people coming via a tube trip with less of a proximity vibe.
(just to clarify that a nanny will have to take care of her as there is no chance we can do the drop off or pick up but that obviously does not mean we don t care about the commute).
maybe pre prep years locally to then consider a commute is the more reasonable way if we don t move closer to these central schools

I’d go 10 mins on foot no question. And even in London once your kids are in school bumping into friend and having playdates and parties that are local too does become normal if you’re at a local school.

In that case make the commute work. Those schools are excellent. At the Lyceum the central London parents eventually end up helping each other out so you will eventually have a ‘village’. I’m sure the other school’s the same.

Everyone I know who used to live in Canary Wharf moved out when their kids got to school age - so I wouldn't bank on lots of local friends......or do you just work there but not live there? not clear from your post.

Unless the nearby school is awful, any child is much better off in a school close to where they live. Living close to your schoolfriends is hugely beneficial. Once they are in year 5 or 6 they can start walking home unaccompanied which is much less reasonable with a multi-stage commute. You are more firmly part of yoir community which increases overall wellbeing.

lol everyone I know has remained as Canary Wharf is so childfriendly over the weekends and they have a lot of local friends. A lot of the parents who attend the two schools mentioned here are local to CW and COL

DD had 35 minutes on the school bus at 4... it was very usual for the Reception and Yr1 children to fall asleep on the bus!

I think the 45 minutes commute is too much at 4. However I.guessing this is a Prep school so you can look again at 7?

Taking a kid on crowded, rush hour transport every day is really not something you should do if it can be avoided. Also local school local friends

You've cited three options but not the starting point which I think is important. If your closest home tube station is Canary Wharf your child will be getting into a rush hour train every morning which is pretty hectic for anyone never mind someone around 4ft tall at best. I've dropped kids back to parents working in Canary Wharf after a playdate and it was just really, really hard at rush hour. People don't even see them they are so tiny.

I'm going to go against the grain and say to start as you mean to go on and don't move your kids around unless you have to. They will get used to it. Turnover in independent schools in London is huge in my experience. At least 20-25% of kids move on every year as parents relocate home or move to the suburbs. But it's good for them to form relationships with staff and pupils so I would either sign up for the local school on the basis that they'll be there until the start of Year 3 at least and then aim for a "through school" or start as you mean to go on.

They're going to be just as tired in a 10 mins away school as one that's 30-45. There are pro's and cons, the Russell Sq option is a constantly moving option so harder to sleep but option 2 has a high chance of conking out as soon as on the train, and then your nanny will have to manhandle her/him off and wake them up. There are ways to manage - snacks etc to keep them awake and moving but find a nanny that doesn't have back issues or you'll be doing it yourself.

Where it gets really tricky if you have a second child that the nanny also has to bring on the journey. Taking a pram on and off a train with a tired 5-7 yr old in rush hour is really a non starter.

Lastly a full time nanny [because you will need one if your hours are very long and independent schools have 14-16 weeks holiday a year you'll need to cover] and school fees is going to be fairly astronomical. I assume you have done your sums but that's also a big consideration on whether to hold back for the later years of primary and secondary.