Moving to Oxfordshire

[KiwiExPatMum]

New to this platform. Reaching out as an expat kiwi moving to the UK for kids schooling having outgrown island life. Never lived in UK before. Will have children at Teddies in Oxford and St Hughs Faringdon. Looking at village life, Longworth, close to the prep and not too far from Oxford. Can anyone who regularly does the commute to Oxford for schooling in the morning, can give me a true idea of drive time. Thinking of having DS at school for breakfast with his day boarding house, aka 7.30, then turning around to get my Younger kids would start school at 8.30, Lots of driving, but is this possible? Thanks

We live in Oxfordshire, close to St Hugh’s.

The A420 into Oxford is often busy in the morning/ out of Oxford in the evening with a fair bit of traffic, as is the ring road round Oxford. As soon as there is an accident it is at a standstill.

Dropping off at 7.30 you will miss the worst off that, and timing-wise you’ll have enough time to go home-teddies-st Hugh’s to drop off at 8.30 but it’s likely to get a bit frustrating I would think - you’ll literally be driving from 7-9 each morning . I t wouldn’t work if you drop later than 7.30.

Have you seen that there are buses from Abingdon to Teddies?

Feel free to pm me if you have questions 😊

The journey into Oxford from anywhere outside is pretty awful. It’s 6am in the UK at the moment and Google maps is showing a current drive time of 23 minutes from Longworth to Summertown, (for Teddies). You’d be driving your youngest for the best part of an hour before they’d even started their school day. This would be especially miserable in the winter. Is there any particular reason you’ve settled on Longworth?

I'd look into school buses. Hubby goes to Summertown from very near to Longworth. Can take anything from 30-mins to 45-mins. Check what time you can drop youngest off as there might be an early option when you're passing their school, although 7.30 is very early.

St Hugh's is unproblematic from Longworth (as you already know). But trying to get anywhere in the city - every weekday morning after 0730 from Longworth - will drive you all mad. You and especially your kids will deeply resent the daily haul to St Ted's. And it would take far longer if they use school buses. Plus the slightest traffic incident brings the entire road network to a halt

Even if you considered the more sensible option of settling somewhere north of city centre - Kidlington, Wolvercote, Marston etc - the traffic would prove very challenging and especially if you're factoring in the extra miles to St Hugh's. My guess is you'll find an alternative prep/primary school nearer to St Ted's

Oxford's traffic is in a chaotic situation with an additional year of Botley Road closure and the various new traffic gates, banned access and cameras throughout Oxford

I wouldn't be braving the A420 ring road with the new traffic gates--it can be mad enough anyway.

I would only do it using the Teddy's school bus, otherwise you will drive yourself almost literally mad