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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

how far do you travel to school every day?

37 replies

AllieJubJub · 10/07/2007 12:41

i currently take ds to primary school which is 5 miles away. He will be in year 3 in september. when he leaves in 2 yrs, dd will start reception. my problem is, that we have moved from the village where the school is, and there is a primary school within walking distance of our house. it has just had an appaling ofsted report, has combined years, and according to a friend who has just removed her 2 from there, a large percentage of children with behavioural problems, hence a large amount of children being excluded on a regular basis. now i'm worrying about sending her there. should i commute for another 9 years to the fantastic school where ds, which takes about 15 mins in the morning, or keep her in the village where we are so that she can make local friends? Some honest opinion [please cos i'm worrying so much i cannot think straight

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nomdeplume · 10/07/2007 19:22

15 mins school drive isn't that bad, imo.

In answer to your OP

DD is at a school 7 mins walk away from house

DSs' are at a school 30 mins walk away (they are slow walkers!), or a 10 min round trip in car if traffic is good, but it never is so it's more like a 20 min round trip.

fannyannie · 10/07/2007 19:24

to answer the question in the thread title......ermm next door - so about 15-25 seconds (depending on 'people' traffic outside my gate) from front door to "inside" school gate.

DiagonAllieBongo · 10/07/2007 19:26

thanks ndp.
i didn't recognise your squirrely name I knew there was another mumsnetter on here local. my ds is currently at moulton and exning school is the one i refuse to send dd to! how old is you lo?

FioFioJane · 10/07/2007 19:26

15 minutes seems fine tbh

dd's school is 8 miles away and in rush hour traffic it take 45mins-1hour

DiagonAllieBongo · 10/07/2007 19:26

oh this makes me feel less of a neurotic mother now. it's worth the drive i believe

SurferRosa · 10/07/2007 19:36

Just had to choose similar thing, local school (5 mins walk) which has 43% SEN and full of scary mums, or highly regarded school which is 45 mins walk up a hill, and getting a car for this purpose...we're going for the car.

Truthfully, I'd prefer to keep it low-key and local, but there are about 2 families I can identify as 'nice' going there, the rest come from the estate on the other side. Playdates will happen with the local nice families anyway I think.

More important is the kids DS has to be at school with, and I think he will be in a much better environment up the hill...even if it's a 10 minute drive every morning.

I'd stick with the one you know.

ChasingSquirrels · 10/07/2007 21:10

I must have it the wrong way round, i thought you moved away from exning.
I also didnt know that exning school was that bad, my boss was happy with it for his eldest, but went with moulton for his youngest as it is nearer (they are that side) as I understand it.
I guess Burwell isn't an option (still a drive but nearer) as it is always over subscribed, and takes you into cambs rather than staying in suffolk.
ds1 is 4.9y and starting at Prior in Sep, the 1st oversubscribed year there for ages, they usually have a mixed reception/yr 1 class but are just having reception on their own this year and I think they have 20 of them now.
I also have ds2 who is nearly 18mo.

And if you are walking distance to exning school I probably did drive past you this afternoon .

Hulababy · 10/07/2007 21:12

DD's school is about 3 miles away, 10 minute drive each way. DH drops DD off on his way to work. I collect on my way home from work. We chose the school partly because of it's location.

Distance hasn't affected how many play dates DD has after school. Most of the children travel and the parents are happy to collect from other people's houses later on, rtaher than at 3:30 from school.

CristinaTheAstonishing · 10/07/2007 21:14

If you're sure it will only take you 15 minutes then I think I'd choose that school over the very local one. Is that a realistic time, though? We turned down moving to a house 5 miles away from DS's school because it really can take 30 or more minutes in the rush hour. Today I did that route in 5 minutes but it was not the norm.

Blu · 10/07/2007 21:22

Hmmm
So will there be no period when your dd and ds are at the same school? Will she get into the school as a sibling once your ds moves on?

We moved house so that we were within easy walking distance of DS's school - but I would rather send him to a good school and travel 5 miles, I think.

Maybe the school will improve quickly following a bad ofsted? It is often a catalyst for a new head and some swift improvement! Can you keep a watching eye for a year?

Quattrocento · 10/07/2007 21:31

Commute. It's only 15 minutes. We do that every day. Don't like the sound of dodgy ofsted, exclusions, combined years etc. Children attract other children in any event - so it's very likely that your ds will make friends in the village anyway.

DiagonAllieBongo · 10/07/2007 22:06

blu, that is very true, there is a new head, so things may improve. cristina, ds goes to that school and i have been doing the commute for a year. takes 10-15mins in the morning, and 10 to pick up. I think i just miss being able to walk to school, but will be happy to know she has had the same lovely experience that ds is having atm. she would also be with 4 of his friends little brothers or sisters that she knows already.

squirrels, you probably did drive past me, we went to the park at pick up time

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