How far is your walk to school?

[TwoManyFallsAndYouGetABadScore]

I am trying to decide between the average school half a mile away or the excellent school 1.5 miles away (not to say I will get in it). Driving is out of the question because I don't want to have to get in the car every day but also the traffic is horrendous and it would take us 40 minutes.

What is your walk to school like (I will have a 6month old baby too so won't be able to cycle - roads are too busy and scary for a trailer thingy.)

1.5 miles is too far to walk every day. Children dawdle that journey would take about an hour, you would be sick of it by Wednesday morning.

Ours is 0.2 of a mile. We walk everywhere and I regularly take ds to activities 1.5 miles away, in theory it sounds doable but it really isn't enjoyable.

Ours is 0.8 of a mile - we nearly always walk, sometimes bike. Walking takes 20 mins with the DCs - grim when it's hailing etc but a really nice time to chat usually. So I suppose with your 1.5 miles you're talking 40 minutes wih DCs in tow? You'll be fit, anyway!

Earlier this year it was 0.9 miles - we did it (5yr old and 8yr old on foot) in 15 minutes. (although in a rush our best time was 11 minutes ).

Now, ahem, well now it's literally a couple of seconds from the front door to the infant school door.

1.4 km

It takes us about 10 mins to walk there, though to collect her from school it only takes me about 4/5 minutes

It used to be a 25 min walk for us and a 10 minute walk back to collect her but we have moved now.

Our walk is about 15-20 mins. Have not measured it but will ask DH to as he passes the same way but earlier. I have always liked walking and on a work day I don't allow my Ds to dawdle. Sorry, but he just knows. He sometimes jogs like a little soldier singing 'running on the spot I'm running on the spot' (no it doesn't make sense, but he is happy) He is % yrs and wants to be like Daddy a PE Teacher! Look out for him in the Olympics

Half an hour walk. We get the bus alot as ds2 dawdles so much.

I know what you mean ShinyAndNew. It takes us 10 minutes to walk 0.2 miles and yet I drop ds off at school at 8.50 and I am back in the house by 8.55.

5 years

I would take the nearer school.
This is a journey you will have to do 4 times a day for a very long time!
Our school is half mile away and on scooters we get there in under 10 mins.

So we are talking about 40 minutes walk twice a day and probably 25 minutes (when on my own) twice a day.

I will have a buggy board for DD and i will be fit but just thinking about doing that in the pouring rain....

good to know some of you have that distance though.

Just wondering if it is worth it when we have a perfectly adequate school just down the road.....

And lol thedollshouse at "sick of it by Wednesday"

Ours is a mile and takes about 15 - 20 minutes to walk with 4 year old and toddler in pushchair. However, only takes 10 minutes to walk home after I have dropped dd at school.

I think children get used to it quite quickly and walking 4 miles a day has definitely already improved my waistline. Plus, it is lovely to have the chatting time.

So, I don't think the 1.5 miles should be out of the question.And if your child does get in, you can practice the walk alot beforehand so that they are used to it.

My DD comes home for lunch so there are some days when I do the return journey to school four times...

The upside to going to the school further away is that my niece is already there so good for helping each other out after school. DH could also do a couple of mornings a week on the bike...

I just wonder how you judge whether it is worth the extra hassle.

Our walk is about 15 minutes - though my DS does dordle.

Weather doesnt worry me, but if I were you would be worried about the amount of your day thats going to be lost, over two hours a day

Also, what about when you are poorly, or your other DC's are sick? And you have to take into account other activities, like after-school things, or bits where your DD would like to to come into school for, like plays and sportsdays.

if you have a younger one as well, then when s/he starts and if your school does 1/2 days at first, you could be doing that journey 6 times a day!

oh god iheartdusty, I hadn't thought about that.

We take about 15/20 mins to walk to school, (DS 9, DD1 4.9 and DD2 3.6), I think it's about 0.6 miles away.

We had to make a similar choice, there are primary schools at each end of our road which would literally take 2 mins to walk to but they aren't as nice or as good as the one further away.

5 years on (In DS's case) I don't regret choosing the school which is further away (unless there is torrential rain or snow like in Feb this year ).

Agree with iheartdusty though regarding reception classes 1/2 days, I have just had 2 weeks of 6 school runs a day with DD1 starting school and DD2 starting nursery at different schools. So glad DD1 is in full time now!

Ours is about 0.4 miles away I think. Takes about 10 minutes to walk with DS (5) and DD (4). If ever I go there on my own (like this morning when DS had left his reading record at home) I can be there and back in just over 10 minutes

Hi
Ours is 0.7 miles away, it takes about 15 minutes with DS on his scooter and pushing DD in her buggy but can be a slog to get DS up the hill! Coming back it takes a lot less. My niece is at same school which is really handy for pick up time as we swap a couple of days a week. Overall I'd go for the nearest school from the point of view of your child having friends near to play with,

I would walk anything up to 2 miles to school. More than that and I'd get the bus or train.

Just under a mile. Because of how traffic/roads are it takes the same amount to walk or drive - 20 mins.

5 yards - we are directly opposite the school gate. Still managed to be late this morning though !