Offered Primary school but its 6 miles away

[Uptheshard]

Offered places in y3 and 4 for 2 Ds, but its 6 miles away and about a 20min drive. Does anyone else do a long drive in the morning? I am not sure I can cope with that and have a job and pick them up fomr afterschool club and get home at 630pm every frigging day ( with no help from family ). No partner to help.

Anyone else do ridiculous journeys each day?
Just because all the closer schools are full to bursting!

20 minutes doesn't seem too long. Lots of people have longer journeys to school; at least you aren't having to walk in all weathers.

Your local authority have a duty to provide free transport if the closest suitable school place is more than 2 miles away for under 8's (>3 miles for >8s)
I'm not sure how that would work with after school club but if you can get them transport in the morning that might help?

That doesn't seem too long to me, I did similar when DS was in Primary School. However, I was mainly SAHM so not then having to rush off to work later. Although I did volunteer in the school, so could do the journey multiple times in a day.

If you could get them in closer schools, what time would you be getting home?

If it's a good school it'd be fine and not much longer than most people who walk to school

We have about three miles and that takes around 20 mins. It's tedious but doable.

Your local authority have a duty to provide free transport if the closest suitable school place is more than 2 miles away for under 8's (>3 miles for >8s)

My friend was allocated a school further than this for her son but they refused free transport by saying it was an academy so they didn’t have to!

Did you read yesterday's thread where a lady couldn't find a school place for her daughter?

If you have just moved into the area and this is what has been offered accept the places. You can always go on a waiting list for elsewhere now - or apply elsewhere. But if LA offer you this and you say no...then I believe they have no further obligation to get you another place. And you might end up with nothing.

20 minutes isn’t long but might be difficult round OPs working hours

OP why not accept these places and stay on the waiting list for closer schools? Round here you automatically stay on the list until Christmas then you can rejoin next year if no soace

Same length as our journey to school. See the journey as a chance to do reading and times tables. We try to cycle once a week.

I do 30mins each way 4 times a day. I hate it!!!

My friend was allocated a school further than this for her son but they refused free transport by saying it was an academy so they didn’t have to!

Unless she refused a place at a closer school or did not apply for a place at her nearest schools then this is incorrect.

6 miles away really isn't all that far really.
I'm assuming you've just moved into the area and have done in year school applications.
Did you check the school place situation before you moved to prepare you for this possibility? You can go on waiting lists for closer schools but you could then and up with children at different schools which I imagine could be even more tricky.

We do. Similar to you, moved mid year, nearest school 6 miles.

We appealed, but as nearer schools were full (and academies, so i think council has slightly less power to force it) it was deemed us doing the journey was less detrimental than overfilling classes.

We were offered free bus pass- no can do, as it’s a bus to the next town, walk across town, bus to a stop 20 mins away from school, walk. We’re not even rural. Plus it’s only the child and not the parent.
Taxi- they will only do school day. No accommodation for after school or breakfast club, it’s 8.30 and 3.30 or nothing.

So the council pay us nearly £400 a year in petrol money.

Problem is I don’t think you have much choice. You can ask if there are any other schools- there may be one further away but an easier journey. We were offered one which was 10 mins down the motorway but because it was in the wrong direction for work we didn’t take it.

You can appeal. It may work if you have no family and it is deemed an unreasonable journey. Ours also failed because I can drive and have access to a car.

Or stick on as many wait lists as you can. Problem is you may get one child accepted then have to wait for a further place which will be a total pita unless they are old enough to get themselves there.

Good luck.

Is it 20 minute at rush hour? Factor that in as well.

I'm assuming you've recently moved? Get yourself on all the waiting lists of nearer schools, plus you could also consider if you have any grounds to appeal (much easier to win in KS2).

If this is the designated school that the Local Authority have offered your DCs a place in then, as Patchworksack says, they have a statutory duty to provide free transport to school.

Basically, the following children get free transport:-

Primary age children in Reception to Year 3 who attend their nearest suitable or designated school and live at least 2 miles from the school.

Primary age children in Year 4 to Year 6 who attend their nearest suitable or designated school and live at least 3 miles from the school; or

who attend their nearest suitable or designated school, where the parents are in receipt of the appropriate benefits, and live at least 2 miles from the school.

The distance is measured as the "shortest walking route" not a direct line as the crow flies. But if you're 6 miles away I guess that won't be an issue.

What you will need to do is to actually apply for free school transport - they won't offer it to you proactively.

So do a search for "school transport" in your area and it should give you details of how to apply.

For example, here is the form that you need to fill in where I live:-

forms.peterborough.gov.uk/356780

Hope this helps

the council pay us nearly £400 a year in petrol money.

The same happens in our area. The council pay 40p per mile for a return journey.

The same happens in our area. The council pay 40p per mile for a return journey

Where are you? Ours is only 22.5p/mile!

My friend was allocated a school further than this for her son but they refused free transport by saying it was an academy so they didn’t have to

If "they" was the local authority, they were wrong. She should have kicked up a fuss and appealed.

blue We're in Peterborough. This is what Peterborough council say:-

Where reimbursement is less than the cost of Peterborough City Council providing transport, we are able to offer parents/carers a mileage reimbursement for them to take their child to school/college. The mileage rate is paid at 40p per mile to cover fuel costs for return journeys at the start and end of the standard school day.

Thanks for the repliues..very helpful! Didnt realise i could remain on waiting lists for other schools.. Shall do so.

Transport should be less than 45 minutes each way for under 8s and less than 75 minutes for over 8s (sorry forgot which one for 8 year olds). The fact that it is only a 20 minute drive to school doesn’t mean the transport offered would only take 20 minutes - taxis tend to go round the houses picking up several kids. Transport doesn’t have to be door to door either but if your are expected to take a bus then the journey time applies to your whole journey including the walk to the bus stop.

It is actually 45 minutes for primary school children, 75 minutes for secondary school. That is what the government defines as a reasonable journey. For the purposes of free transport, the LA must always provide free transport if the school is over 2 miles away by the shortest safe walking route if the child is under 8, or 3 miles if the child is 8 or over. This applies regardless of whether the school is a community school, VA, VC, academy or free school. Children with special needs and families on low incomes have additional entitlements to free transport.

Be thankful for small mercies OP. Your children have places at the SAME school, which has an AFTERSCHOOL club.

You could easily have been offered places at different schools with no after school provision.

Yes, it sounds like a pain, but it could have been a much much worse pain.