Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Primary education

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

Flip

1 2

Original poster

How far is too far? (Primary school commute)

34 replies

surreygirl1987 · 01/05/2021 20:50

We are house hunting at the moment. We are still torn between two state primaries and the private school I will be working at (thats a whole other thread) but we are struggling to decide where to buy too (we are relocating).

Houses are much cheaper out in the countryside. We can get a lot more for our money if we don't live near the two towns the schools are in. Would you rather have a smaller house and be nearer the primary school, or a larger house with a longer journey?

One of the state primaries (my favourite) is only a few minutes' drive from where I shall be working so would be a great commute for me (though further for my husband). But this is where the most expensive houses are. What would you compromise on - house or travel time?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

AnnaSW1 · 01/05/2021 20:52

I'd prefer to live closer to the school

knighterrant · 01/05/2021 20:53

Personally I'd go for the nicer house, but my first question would be whether you're very confident of a place if you live further away? If they're popular schools, the last distance offered might be very small.

ohidoliketobe · 01/05/2021 20:55

I'd prefer one closer to home if your DH can do drop off/ pick ups. Most public schools operate on totally different term dates to state schools so may resent the extra drive while you're off!

mnahmnah · 01/05/2021 20:57

Closer to the school. They will the love closer to their school friends, making meet-ups easier. There are so many occasions you need to go to the school for parents evenings, performances, summer fair, sports day etc that a commute could get to be a real drag.

mnahmnah · 01/05/2021 20:57

*then live closer to their friends

ASimpleLobsterHat · 01/05/2021 20:57

Closer to school so that DC can see friends easily. We are 15 mins drive due to moving after DS1 started school and now he is older (from about yr 5) he does miss out on having friends he can go out to play with.

Soontobe60 · 01/05/2021 20:58

Where you live could be a moot point if you can’t get a place in one of the schools! Will you be looking for an in year admission or is your dc below school age at the moment?

altlife · 01/05/2021 20:58

How are you going to be travelling?

If driving then I'd go for the nicer house and longer travel time.

If public transport, then not so sure

Popskipiekin · 01/05/2021 21:00

We’re having this debate currently. We could be looking up to 40 mins (drive) away for a cheaper house and I feel we and the kids will be knackered by this, especially at potentially as late as 6pm, plus what about weekend sports. We’re going to attempt to compromise on all fronts at a 20 minute drive - which feels a big jump for us as we are currently spoilt by a 5 min walk! But yeah, you asked: How long too long? I reckon a 20 min drive totally doable, and if it ticks over due to occasional traffic? Tiresome but fine. But I don’t want to go in knowing we have to commit to 40 mins drive daily there and back. That’s coming from our current position of being so close by to school. For all I know 40 mins is normal?

NicolaDunsire · 01/05/2021 21:03

I live rurally so plenty of people drive for school, and I would say more than 15-20 mins is unusual. Ours is 7 minutes drive.

LIZS · 01/05/2021 21:08

20-25 minutes maximum. State schools tend to draw from a smaller radius than private especially in a town, so consider likelihood and logistics of play dates, parties, activities. How likely are you to get a place at a town state school from the rural locations?

Original poster

surreygirl1987 · 01/05/2021 21:11

Sorry, I should have given more context. Oldest child isn't even 3 yet but ees to decide now as buying now and don't intend to move for at least another 10 years.
It's a very rural area and as far as I know ow traffic is fine (but although I've been tracking journeys on Google maps, hard to tell for definite as lockdown has led to less traffic). Because it's a rural area, catchment areas are very large and also the schools are undersubscribed. Half of pups seem to come from outside the catchment areas at both schools, and no pupils who applied were refused at either of them the past 3 or 4 years, and they didn't even fill the classes (a little worried that this might have repercussions of reducing places in the future but who knows!). I would have thought that even living out in the sticks, they'd get a place at at least one of our favourite two state primaries, unless something changes drastically in the next year or two.

Our dream house is 20 mins away from favourite state primary. That's with very little traffic and in lockdown. So now I'm thinking maybe that is too far. A shame, but best to know now. It's also not in the catchment area and even though I said it shouldn't matter, it would niggle away at me until places are confirmed so maybe not worth the stress...

Thanks very much.

OP posts:

Original poster

surreygirl1987 · 01/05/2021 21:14

Oh and to add further context, after school playing with friends wouldn't be a huge issue as they'd be in full time wraparound care (as we work full time) so wouldn't be collected until around 5:30pm each evening... but then maybe after such a long day a 20 min+ drive home is unfair.

OP posts:

Original poster

surreygirl1987 · 01/05/2021 21:15

Oh and @altlife sorry yes, driving. I would be doing drop off and pickup on my way to and from work.

OP posts:

BrilliantBetty · 01/05/2021 21:16

I'd definitely want to be closer to the school and local friends etc. Even in a smaller house.

Original poster

surreygirl1987 · 01/05/2021 21:18

Thanks. I am leaning towards that now.

OP posts:

MargosKaftan · 01/05/2021 21:19

If you will still be there when they go to secondary school and no longer have wraparound care, how would they get to/from school in the countryside property?

Jenjenn · 01/05/2021 21:19

I would live closer to school. We live within few minute walk from dc primary and no way would I swap it for larger house further out. Not having to drive for school drop/pickup and plenty of dc pals closeby for playdates (non-covid times) is great.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 01/05/2021 21:30

My DDs are now on School 4, and have had four very different commutes
School 1: 5 minutes by bike, or 15 mins walk
School 2: 5min walk followed by 25min on school bus
School 3: 20min drive
School 4: 3 Min walk

Of all of them, the drive was the most stressful. Too many factors that were out of control... Road works, accidents elsewhere, weather conditions, even a power cut.

The bus trip was obviously the longest, making a long day (they were out from 8.05 to 3.45 without any wrap around), but wasn't tiring really... Although younger DD sometimes slept on the bus.

Original poster

surreygirl1987 · 01/05/2021 21:58

@margoskaftan good question - they would hopefully be attending the private school at which I will be working when they are senior age (again, that's a whole other thread!) so they could do my commute with me or get the bus. However, I could change jobs by then and/or we may move house so I'm not planning that far ahead right now. There is also a supposedly great huge state secondary with an enormous catchment area nearby which I believe covers everywhere we are looking at.

OP posts:

Original poster

surreygirl1987 · 01/05/2021 22:00

Really interesting insight, thanks. Our fave state primary is in a hamlet with very few houses (nothing for sale at the moment there) so unlikely to be walkable. I won't mind driving a bit as it is only a few minutes' drive from where I will be working anyway so that won't bother me. But I don't want miserable journeys for the kids. Will aim for 10 mins drive or less I think. Thanks for your help.

OP posts:

HolmeH · 02/05/2021 08:38

It’s curious, maybe people just don’t live rurally all much on here. We are rural & none of our local schools are walkable. Even our catchment school is pretty inaccessible walking. It’s be a 25 minute walk up an enormous hill, with national speed limit traffic flying round corners Everyone drives here (or gets the bus). Driving to anything is just normal.. there are fantastic walks & countryside but not to get to the main facilities so much. Unless you walk on the counter roads, which I do as an adult but wouldn’t walk my young kids on. Unless you live directly in the village, you hop in the car!

My kid is going to school out of catchment, it’s a 5 minute drive in good traffic. I suspect more like 20 in reality.. can’t wait 🥴😂

viques · 02/05/2021 10:07

@surreygirl1987

Don’t forget weekends and school holidays, a friend to play with who doesn’t involve a parent driving is not to be sneezed at.

UserAtRandom · 02/05/2021 12:03

@surreygirl1987

It does depend a little bit where all their friends lived (if everyone is rural, will it still be a trek to a friend's house even if you live close to the school?) but you also need to consider weekends and holidays. Not at an issue in Reception, but as your child gets older they will also want to play out independently in evenings/weekends/holidays - they won't be able to do this if it's 20 minutes drive to the nearest friend's house.

It's also useful to have friends nearby for a support network. What if you are ill or your car breaks down? Who do you call?

Original poster

surreygirl1987 · 02/05/2021 13:08

Yes, I was thinking this about friends. But the catchment areas for these schools are so massive, and with almost half the kids coming from outside the catchment areas, I feel like their friends are unlikely to live next door anyway? If I moved near the school in the hope that they'd be able to walk to their best friends' houses, I may well end up disappointed! Then again, you never know!

You're right about support network, but again I suppose the wide catchment area issue applies here too (and I guess unless my husband and I are BOTH ill at the same time it wouldn't matter so much; and we have a car each).

OP posts:

Flip

1 2

Swipe left for the next trending thread