How long is the school run?

[scuttlebeeb]

Is 30 mins too long?

we are looking to move and found a beautiful house but it’s 30 minute drive away from dd school where I also work! Wondering if that is too long of a drive (she is only turning 5 in summer)
xx

That will be a pain in the ass. If you can avoid it I would. I'm a twenty mins walk from school and I wish we were closer. I currently do it eight times one day a week to drop my son off and walk back, then drop my nursery daughter off and walk back, walk to get daughter and back and then walk to get son and back. Bloody nightmare. And that's without considering that all her friends will be thirty mins away too!

Depends on a few factors; is it 30 mins in traffic or on an off-peak run? Are you having other kids so that you’d be doing this when on mat leave in the future? Is the parking decent so you don’t have to leave early to get a spot? Presumably as a teacher/worker you have on-site parking.

We do a 45 minute morning school run, it’s doable but occasionally grim. Off peak it’s 20 mins which is absolutely fine. We’ve done this since the kids were 4 and I don’t think it’s any harder at that age than when they’re older.

No although you have to factor in that sometimes the journey could take longer (traffic, weather etc).

Our local prep school has minibuses that pick up from up to an hour away. Because of the age of the youngest children, a second member of staff is always present and sitting in the back with them, keeping them amused, stopping naughty behaviour etc.

She has many years ahead at primary and imo a 30 min drive is just too long.
If you really love the house then you might want to look at changing schools for her (you can still work at the one further away).
You might need breakfast club etc but it seems silly to be so far from school at this age - think play dates etc too.

X

It’s a very long time! I was going to say how awful it will be but when I think about it, I have to drop my eldest at high school at 8:15 but my youngest doesn’t start till 8:45 and the schools are only a five minute drive away from each other so I end up sitting in the car with my youngest so they are in the car for longer than 30mins.

if it’s a great school and your happy with it you could always try it and see how it goes???

I think the main issue is friendships, especially as she gets older. The best thing about living near our school is that as my kids have got older they can walk to the park with friends, get themselves to school and generally be independent.

If you work at the school it's not so bad as its only 2 drives a day. What age would she be there until though? What would happen after that for the next school - would all the friends be going to a school that was even further from home for you? Basically think ahead and plan for the difficult days - if you're off ill for instance but still have to drive her in etc etc.

Not so bad if you're working there. Think through the "what ifs" - potential future maternity leave, you being ill, child being ill. What about after school - if you don't finish when she does, does she go to an after-school club?

You will be living further from her friends, but there might be potential for after-school play-dates.

The other thing to think about is that you may then feel stuck working there, because if you move job you might then need to move her to a more local school or one near your new job. I knew someone who was itching to move schools, but had got stuck because her son had gone from a childminder near her (secondary) school, to the primary in the same area (staying with the same childminder), to her school (staying with his primary friends). She needed a change, but couldn't move until he finished year 11.

Too far IMO. My daughter went to the nursery at my school 30 mins away. Commute was fine but all her friends parties were 45+ mins drive away and if I was ever off sick or on residential or parents evening or whatever my husband had a long old school run to do.

we moved her to local school (20 min walk or 5 min drive) for reception and it’s so much better. Local friends, parties are a 10 minute drive away so don’t take the whole afternoon.

I also would have felt tied to a school (which I ended up wanting to leave) for 7 years if she’d attended there.

Totally fine imho. My kids are at school 30mins drive away - it’s really not a problem. Yes, if friends are 30 mins the other direction then the odd play date /party at the w/e can be a pain but it’s quite rare they’re that far. I find the car journeys are a really good sociable opportunity with the kids, it’s a benefit not a hindrance.

Would be too much for me.

30mins away is potentially 2 hours daily, and worse with bad traffic. So upto 10 hours plus a week?

Edit as didn’t see you’re working there too. Not so bad then, probably ok.

Fairly normal were we live, until secondary the commute was 30-40 minutes each way, secondary was then 1 hr 10 each way. First I drove, secondary was private bus arranged and paid for by parents.

If it is the same school you work in, then totally fine in my opinion, assuming start and end times align. Most people probably have more than an hour commute time if you include school run.

I think given you wouldn't be turning tail and driving 30mins home it is just about OK. You can do times tables practice for part of the going to school leg, and she can unwind on the journey home. You can brink a snack for her to have in the car for home too.

I would say too far if you weren't going there already. So the travelling aspect becomes less of an issue.

However, where do all the other children live? Are there often evening events at the school? You might not have extra travelling for the school but if you are constantly travelling back there outside of school time, it will also mount up.

Seems totally normal to me!

I wouldn’t say it’s too far. Primary school years aren’t that long in the scheme of things. Worth it for a dream home

It’s fine for an adults commute but a lot to add onto the day of a 5yr old. How are you going to work wrap around care too?

I'd say it's fine but we don't drive so are used to walking everywhere and 99% of the time that's longer than 30mins (and yes, even with a 5 year old)

I have very recently moved, taking the school run from a half hour drive to a five minute one (if that. Unable to walk it unfortunately as it’s not a suitable road) and while the longer school run wasn’t enough to even think about changing schools (it’s a cracking school!) it was an absolute pain in the arse BUT I think the fact you work there too makes it completely different. For the perfect house, I’d suck up a 30 minute ‘commute’ essentially.

From age 6 I went on the school bus. Got on at 7.30am and reached school at 8.45am. I loved it - we chatted and laughed the whole time!