Would lack of school transport put you off Kingston Grammar for Year 7?

[11plusherewego]

We’re still finalising our short list for DS due to start year 7 in 2027.

We like Kingston Grammar for a number of reasons but we’re slightly put off by the lack of school transport. We’re a bus ride from Clapham Junction so train should be easy enough but I can’t get my head around a just turned 11 year old heading off to school on public transport by themselves.

Wondering how others would feel about this?

Whilst some of our options are much further geographically, they have school coaches short walk from our home. This seems a better option but I’m cautious of making decisions based on year 7 practicalities when he’ll be there for quite a few years!

You should visit Clapham junction around 8am and view the hundreds of school children moving around London - it’s the same at all the SW train stations. An attraction of KGS is the station transport and access to Kingston after school. DC really grow up during year 6 and the summer before they start secondary school.

Our son has just started year 7 and very much enjoys his independence when commuting from where we are in Kew to Kingston Grammar which typically means one stop from Kew Gardens station to Richmond and South West Trains from Richmond to Kingston. Loads of his friends meet up en route and travel in together. As pp said, children mature considerably in year 6 and we had no worries that our son wouldn’t be able to get himself there and back.

11yos using public transport is normal throughout the country, just to attwns the local school.

There are loads of KGS kids on SWR trains, that run through Clapham junction. We are in the second full week of school and there are Y7’s traveling independently on the train in KGS uniform (including one of DS’s friends). My DS (in Y7) has traveled independently by train & bus since Y6 to/from his prep school and now secondary school. They soon get the hang of it! That said, when we selected schools to apply for, the ease of commute and alternatives to SWR trains (for when there’s issues/cancellation of trains) were taken into account.

I don’t know any school child in London travelling by school transport unless they have special needs. Clapham Junction is heaving with school kids catching trains. I’m local and my DC travelled independently to school by bus and tube, sometimes train. All normal for an 11-year-old without learning needs. Travelling by school coach is a bit embarrassing.

I grew up in Putney and went to Grey Coat in Victoria, which was 2 trains or train and a tube ride. My dad went with me for the first couple of weeks of year 7, and then I was good to go. As PP said, there are hundreds of school kids moving through London at that time in the morning, and again after school.

I suppose it depends on your options. I am a firm believer in keeping the school commute to a minimum so if you have a couple of other options that are easier to get to then I would favour them over a school that has a less convenient journey.

My DC is in Year 8 at KGS and the school being so well linked for public transport is a real selling point. They love the independence and are constantly popping into Kingston after school. All of their friends travel in via train or bus and it's super easy (and a lot cheaper than a school bus!). We can't speak highly enough of the school - the year 7 transition was seamless, the kids all seem lovely and down to earth, and the school is generally just totally brilliant. DC2 will be sitting for it this year to start next hopefully (assuming we get through the 11+)!

I’ve met plenty of children at school open days who get coaches from across SW London to school. Particularly popular round here for Whitgift, Hampton, Reed’s, Dulwich, Epsom etc.

Thank you all for your input. You have reinforced my views. It’s my DH who is particularly apprehensive about it so wanted to sense check I wasn’t some over relaxed parent!

I don’t think a year 7 doing that journey is an issue.
However, location was a big factor for us in choosing a school and I’m glad DS goes to one only a mile away. I was put off by the prospect of having to drive them to a further away school in the event of a public transport failure eg industrial action which isn’t a once in a blue moon occurrence here. Plus child struggles to get up in time to get to a local school and that hasn’t improved as the teenage years have progressed. But, we’re lucky that our local school is decent, otherwise we may have come to a different decision.

Yes I would agree with @AssortedWords that the distance to the school is important and the sports grounds for KGS in Thames Ditton is a consideration if you are a bus ride from Clapham Junction.

I didn’t realise your references were to private schools. I do think some private school parents are a bit overprotective and perhaps have been used to driving their DC to school or activities. If your child isn’t accustomed to public transport, plenty of time for them to practise.

Yes, the sports ground is at Thames Ditton but there’s a school minibus which takes the children back to the school by 4pm ok the days they have afternoon games.

Then you haven't seen the fleet of vehicles that pull up for LEH and Hampton. There's nothing special needs about these children, I assure you

Not overprotective, just happy to fork out a grand a term on transport

Quite possibly true. We currently walk to school and most activities

I sent on the tube to school from age 11. My mum came with the first day (as did other parents), but after that we just travelled ourselves.
My DC got the bus.

My child went to private school for secondary and took buses and trains from the start by themselves. We practised the route a few times. They were well used to public transport, though, from infancy. They took buses locally by themselves aged about ten. The primary school encouraged all parents to let children make their own way to school unaccompanied by year 6, so they could build up skills. Most children walked but some did have to use buses or tubes.

The other thing to think about is how easy it is for you to get to the school for events, meetings etc. It can be a lot, particularly if your DC is into Drama or Music, and it’s far easier if you can get there easily from home or work via Public Transport.
My DCs both went to schools with no buses as they promoted independent travel. It also meant that children were not coming from too wide a radius. At Hampton, Reeds etc they can come from miles away because of the bus network. It can also be a bit of a pain when they’re older and want to go to parties in the depth of Surrey when you live in West London.

I went on a bus, train and school bus to mine at that age, without any practice runs.
Do practice runs with them, show how doors work, platform announcements, digital boards and rail apps. Its a life skill so just do it now.

I’ve two at KGS, both getting the train. Yes, it’s a bit nerve wracking at first when the train doesn’t run and they have to get the bus or a different train, or walk part of the way. But then all of a sudden you realise that they are so much more independent and also, should friendships shift, aren’t tied to the same coach for the next six years. They do need to get to the Ditton sports grounds some Saturday mornings though - it’s an easy train ride from CJ but adds an extra layer of complexity. For away sports fixtures almost always a coach from the school. Am assuming you are also considering Emanuel if you live near CJ - their big sports ground is out near Raynes Park.

@Trickleg yes we are considering Emanuel. I hear it’s ultra competitive to get into now though so want to be comfortable with other options too. The open day was difficult enough to get into 😂

All very true @claudina2012 . In some ways there is too much choice (at least at this stage, who knows whether we’ll have any choices to make post the exams, etc).

I used to live in Chelsea and went to school in Hampton.

Wasn’t too much of a big deal.

11/19/22/319 Bus to Sloane Square Station.
Tube to Richmond.
R70 bus to Hampton.

Did it for 5 years.

The school I work in has students who come by school coaches and those who come in by train. I would say although parents enjoy the security of the school coaches (app allows them to track them in real time) the students generally prefer the trains and certainly as they get older they prefer the independence of the train (especially for attending extra-curriculars) if the school has no school transport I'm certain the older students will support the younger. With so many at our place on trains it almost feels like a school train anyway!