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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

Waking to school - important?

47 replies

RunningOnHope · 19/09/2024 18:52

We're in a fortunate situation where there are 4 local primaries we'd have a good chance of getting in to, so looking around all. One we could walk to in 7 mins - it's on our road. Another more like 15-20. The other two are half an hour, one along a busy road, so realistically we'd drive.

How important does easy walkability feel to you in choosing? Would you sacrifice anything else for the sake of being close? I know visiting and gut feel will be important but our closest one has that it advantage but also a big disadvantage to me in having a 45 intake so split/mixed year groups. Don't know how big a factor the close distance should be.

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Original poster

RunningOnHope · 19/09/2024 18:53

Just spotted the typo in the thread title... this is about walking rather than waking up for school!!

OP posts:

ChocolateLemsip · 19/09/2024 18:55

I would say being able to walk there is one of the absolute top priorities. So much less stressful, a nice start and end to every day, activity for your child and they are likely to have friends who live very locally. I'd go for the shorter walk if I were you.

Jackiebrambles · 19/09/2024 18:55

It was very important for me. More local friends too. Helps you be part of the community, also no parking/traffic stress which I would hate! Plus they can walk alone in the later years which helps their independence for secondary school.

JumpinJellyfish · 19/09/2024 18:57

We chose a school 20 mins walk away rather than 7 minutes because it was a much better school. In reality I drop the kids to school on an electric cargo bike so commute is 5mins.

It is noticeable for things like play dates that most of the other kids live closer - we were right on the edge of the catchment - but it was really worth it for us because we love the school. And the distance isn’t really a big deal. I’d hate to have to drive though as school parking and traffic is a nightmare.

TeenToTwenties · 19/09/2024 18:58

If a school is used to composite year groups and is good then I wouldn't worry too much, all other things being equal.
Walking to primary is 7 years or more with siblings; it is so much nicer than driving.

Zaya85 · 19/09/2024 19:00

Really important for me, the best conversations I have with my kids are on the walk to school and back. And it's nice they have lots of local friends. It's 20mins each way which is perfect for us, wouldn't want longer than half an hour each way.

I suppose it depends on your lifestyle though, if you have to get to work straight after drop off and realistically will be in the car anyway then not a big issue.

HateThese4Leggedbeasts · 19/09/2024 19:00

How many DC do you have? If more than 1, factor in that at some points you might do more than 2 school runs a day. My dc do some before school activities and after school ones so 1 day a week I do the trip 4 times a day. I walk mostly as it's 12 mins away.

I think walking to school is really nice. My dc chat about their day in a way they won't do at home, plus their friends are also all walkable which is lovely. However I really don't like mixed year classes and would pick a school that did that (it's very rare here so only 1 out of the nearest 5 schools do it ).

Choosingmiddleschool · 19/09/2024 19:01

My children are so much calmer and settled going into school if we have walked. I think exercise, day light and fresh air is very important for all hildren to help them
regulate.

FusionChefGeoff · 19/09/2024 19:01

Walk walk walk walk!!

We've just had to switch to a drive for secondary (weren't offered any of the 3 we chose!) and I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE it.

Traffic is unbelievably shit and it just adds time and stress at the beginning and end of the day.

mynameiscalypso · 19/09/2024 19:03

It was important to me. DS school also has a 1.5 form entry which hasn't been a problem at all. There's quite a lot of movement and by the time you get to the older years, they're back as one year group with 30 (or a little above) children in a year

Procrastinates · 19/09/2024 19:13

Our criteria was wrap around provision first and distance second. We got a school with great wrap around facilities and fortunately it's walkable, it's lovely that he gets to bump into friends on the walk.

Cuwins · 19/09/2024 19:18

Walking might give you a better chance to meet other parents and kids as you will meet them on the way

Sunshineclouds11 · 19/09/2024 19:18

I love walking to school with DS, the fresh air does us good, enjoy our conversations also!

flyinghen · 19/09/2024 19:20

Honestly just think of the winter mornings rushing about with the kids and trying to defrost the car. That was enough to put me off! But if I had to drive to get to a good school I would do it.

DillyDeclutter · 19/09/2024 19:26

We drive to a Good school which had good vibes during the school tour rather than walking to a Requires Improvement school with a terrifying Head. I dislike the school run intensely (parking is terrible) but wouldn't change our decision. Most kids at our school travel some distance anyway.

Our school also has split year group classes and it works well for us.

If the schools are similar I'd go for the walk, but all schools are not equal.

DelurkingAJ · 19/09/2024 19:30

We weren’t and it was never a problem. Drop to local childminder and she took and collected them. Play dates were fine. We’ve moved much closer and no change at all. BUT I’m firmly not in favour of children ‘playing out’ (we have a huge garden, they’re welcome to and do have friends round to play in it).

VivaVivaa · 19/09/2024 19:43

I would only compromise on walk-ability if the only walkable school was absolutely dire. Or potentially if there was no wrap around and no local childminders.

VivaVivaa · 19/09/2024 19:47

Be careful to check which high schools the more distant primary schools feed into as well. You don’t want toend up in a high school a further 30 minutes away in the opposite direction.

InfoSecInTheCity · 19/09/2024 19:52

We live a 2 min walk from DDs school and the biggest benefit is that she has loads of friends who live right near us, so now she's old enough to play out she has loads of options.

MumOfStarWars · 20/09/2024 00:01

We live a 5-7min walk and done it for 8yrs now. Kids have friends in village and often pop back to each others houses after school/walk home together and in the morning a “walking bus” arrives at my house and a gaggle of 5/6 kids head off to school. The school is good. Of course I have things I’d prefer were done differently/improved but the walking v driving was a top consideration way back when we were considering our preferences.

BrokenSushiLook · 20/09/2024 00:04

Being walkable makes everything easier. Unless the walkable ones are dreadful, choose them.

rawsalad · 20/09/2024 01:27

We chose a school that was 40 mins away by public transport, we moved closer within a term and are now a 5 min walk away. Definitely makes life more pleasant.

Ihateslugs · 20/09/2024 01:59

I used to walk for at least 30 minutes with my children, longer sometimes if they were tired. I did have a car but parking was a nightmare and initially I was a SAHM so was not rushing off to work. Sometimes I popped the baby in a bike seat and pushed him to school then rode back to his pre school nursery to save time.

When I returned to work, the childminder was about half way to school so I drove there and they walked with the CM later. In the evenings, the afterschool club parents were allowed to use the school car park to pick up.

Walking to school was important to me, I had three primary schools, all equally good, within walking distance but there were strict catchment areas and ours was the furthest away but a better walking route using side roads and footpaths.

Flubadubba · 20/09/2024 06:51

Definitely don't underestimate how useful walking to school is. Parking is horrendous, and, as your child gets older, it allows them more independence (waling to school at end of primary, friends likely to be a lot closer so they can be more independent in visiting them when older/easier to meet locally when younger).

We were lucky as our first choice was both our catchment and closest. I would visit all of the schools (feeling is important) and include walking as one of the things you include in your decision.

RidingMyBike · 20/09/2024 07:14

We've moved from a 10 min drive to a 20 min walk (different school and house move) then a 10 min walk (another house move but same school). Walking you'll know when you'll arrive, no worries about parking, there is time to chat about the day and any concerns. Lots of other children walking the same way so much better for social stuff. Driving took longer because invariably would have to park 10 mins walk from school or be there ridiculously early to get a space.

We moved from same year kids in class to mixed age and I was initially dubious but it works brilliantly and has advantages. Is the school used to this set up and is it all the way through?

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