Is closer to primary school better?

[ChampagneLassie]

Help me mumsnetters I’m trying to decide on where to live and deliberating between a house that’s <5mins walk from school v 15 mins walk. The closer one is on a busier road and has a smaller garden but is a nicer house. So there are other variables, but my main point of consideration is I’ve always thought it would be better to be really close to school as cut down commute time. I’ve got two LOs so thinking this is 9 years 39 weeks of the year. Any thoughts welcome

If walking 15 minutes is not going to be a real
option for you & youll end up driving, then I'd go for the closer house.

its quite an impotent detail. So keep that in mjnxcshen reading the replies. People might not have read your updates.

if I hadn't seen your updates. I'd have said, choose the nicest house (because to me I'd walk, not drive, the one 15 minutes walk away. Happily rather than drive the school run)

When you say the nearer house is a much nicer house, do you mean the layout of the house, decoration or look of the house etc ? You can do a lot to make a house nicer!

Five years ago I would have prioritised closeness- it's no fun with young ones having a really long walk before school. Now they are both at school we actually chose a chose 13 minutes further away (20 minutes walk in total), despite there being one with the same layout and price, due to our house having a decent garden that wasn't overlooked and being on a nicer road. Also the daylight is better inside somehow. However I drive twice a week and DH and I split the rest of the walks to and from school between us so it's not all on me. We love the extra exercise we are getting because we are lazy in general so it doesn't require the extra effort to get some exercise in!

Is this a house you plan to stay in for a very long time, if so then being a little furthur away from primary school is for 9 years only before they move up to secondary school.

You should probably also factor in proximity to the senior school too as your child will be there soon enough.

We were about 10 mins away. I wouldn't have worried about an extra 5 mins if the property further away is the best. Only time it's a pain is during bad weather.

Around here a reasonable amount of children have to walk 30 mins, so some parents let them cycle or scoot to make it quicker.

Don't forget a walk and fresh will be good for them as well!

Either way, I'd go for the best house and not worry about the distance.

@ChampagneLassie Does the school have a walking crocodile? A meeting place where walking dc meet and walk to school with a rota of parents? You drop off dc there and they walk with the group. You would need to take your turn as a helper. Clogged up school roads are helped by this.

I don’t know, good q. Most people bike here.

It’s a totally different house, it’s different period. It is nicer objectively & bigger (and priced accordingly), they’re both nice enough. I’ve realised I’d prefer the further away house, except it is further away. We offered on the nearer one but they’ve not accepted and we’re deliberating whether we offer more or wait for someone else OR offer on the further away one.

The nearer house is better placed for catchment secondary too but I’d imagine we might well move by secondary. We are only looking at this as next 5-10 years.

@ChampagneLassie I think most don’t bike to our schools as no bike lanes! Controlled road crossings when walking are easier than a 5 year old biking.

All of this. It's 20 mins extra a day, 1 hour 40 a week, 38 weeks a year for seven years.

For me, 15 vs 5 minutes wouldn't have featured in a decision about which house to buy.
However, given that you don't like walking at all and you appear to prefer the nearer house, perhaps go for that one, all else being equal.

So they are in different catchments for secondary?? That's important. You might want to move again before secondary but you might not - moving is so expensive and stressful!

Out of interest, OP, why do you prefer the further away house, even though the closer one is "objectively nicer" and bigger? What period/style is each house? (I'm a sucker for a period property!)

An extra 10 minutes doesn't sound that much. But if you're walking them to and from school and going home inbetween that's an extra 40 minutes of walking a day for you as an adult. We chose to prioritise proximity and are glad we did.

@AnotherEmma near house is Victorian, more stylish smaller garden. Further house is Edwardian, less stylish, huge garden and it just felt more right, but it’s certainly not as objectively nice. Both are in catchment for the top primary and secondary school in the area but the near house is nearer both. The Edwardian house is at edge of a less desirable area. It’s also 15% cheaper and I think due to proximity to less desirable area

Hmmm. Wonder why it felt right. I do think closer is better so that would swing it for me but you do have to trust your gut on these things! Presumably if it's less money you can spend a bit to do it up?

Again the Victorian one needs more money spent on it, the Edwardian one is in better condition. The main price difference is location and size (the Victorian one is bigger). What if I don’t get a gut feeling? We’ve been looking for over a year. Everything is some sort of compromise. I liked being in the Edwardian house and I could really feel us living there, but I know the distance to school would really grate.

This thread has really helped me. Thanks everyone who took time to respond

5 mins or 15 mins walking is neither here nor there. I never lived close enough to any school to walk there when I was a child and now as a parent I’m not within walking distance of my DC’s school either.

I would go for the house that ticks more of the boxes. In this case a 5 vs 15 min walk is negligble.

A 15 minute walk with a small child may sometimes feel like a half marathon.
Personally I chose to live close to the school (have been since the DC started nursery) and makes my life sooooo much easier. Oldest DS now has a 2 minute walk to school (just across the road!) and being in London that isnt so safe anymore, it makes me much more at easy.

It sounds like you do like the further away one, so I wouldn't be bothered about others preferring the nearest one.

I just think driving Vs a five minute walk is a huge faff, especially in the early years when it's car seats, no big coats on in the car etc. But if the joy of the other one would cancel that out then go for it!