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Secondary education

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school journey fron ickenham /hillingdon to tiffin boys

35 replies

asi2000 · 05/03/2014 21:06

hi
my son just got admission in tiffin boys and like to know any body from hillingdon goes to tiffin boys as i am looking for options without moving to surry.
thanks

OP posts:
Marmitelover55 · 06/03/2014 14:56

I used to do a 60 mile (3 hour) round trip to get to my secondary school between the ages of 12-15 and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I missed out on so much. My DD has just started secondary school and has a 20 minute walk - distance was very high on my list of priorities Please don't do this to your son - move closer or opt for a different school.

tinytalker · 06/03/2014 16:52

Asi2000 - This is madness! The journey would be horrendous as the traffic just crawls along in rush hour. Minibus or no minibus. He will burn out before he even gets to GCSEs. Plus he will have no social life as all his school friends will live too far away. You should have thought this through before applying.

Snowballed · 06/03/2014 18:01

Why would you even apply for a school so far away? There is more to school than exam results. You are putting your wants ahead of your sons needs.

PatriciaHolm · 06/03/2014 18:12

The problem with giving it six months is that at that point your options for other schools will be very limited. Your poor son will be shattered and you will be faced with trying to make a very quick move to the other side of London or try to find another place, which will only exist in a unsubscribed school not a grammar.

The most practical thing now would be to make a late application to local grammars/other schools and try to get a late place for September; if you are turned down to start with you can appeal. Even if others do the journey (and looking at the postcode spread for the last few years I doubt there are many close to you) it's a horrible thing to make him do even for a short time. He will have no life outside school and commuting and that's before tackling the homework mountain.

trader21c · 06/03/2014 18:32

I agree why on earth did you apply? How about leaving the school for more local students

namechangeagaininnit · 06/03/2014 18:44

Oof. Awful journey to do every day. If google maps says 1hr 40min, in the morning it's going to be more realistically, especially with the M25 and that part of the motorway is notorious. Two hours there, two back and more if there's a really bad jam.

Taz1212 · 06/03/2014 19:00

DS(11) commutes 1 hour each way to get to/from school. He doesn't mind the commute at all - school run bus which has quite a social life within itself. He does after school activities 2/3 times a week and swims with a local club 3/4 times a week, mostly after his commute! He has two sets of friends, school and local so socially he has ended up gaining more friends than he has previously.

Having said all that, 1 hour is the absolute maximum that I would allow either of my DC to commute at this age! DS is out of the house on a non club day from 7:10-4:55 and on those days generally has to go straight to swimming so he doesn't get home until 7:30. It's a very very long day.

Is moving even half way an option? As everyone else has said, that sort of travel is horrendous for even the most hardened commuter.

paulapantsdown · 06/03/2014 19:50

Glad to hear that mutton, maybe it's just the year 7 kids I know that just started there that are struggling a bit for other reasons then. It's all very subjective and depending on the kid themselves isn't it? At least they are nearby though hey!

MrsDavidBowie · 07/03/2014 13:13

Another one open mouthed at this.
A friend has 2 boys at Tiffin and there are definitely boys bussed in from that area but it is a private arrangement.
You would think the school would look at addresses.. Surely if they say a journey of over an hour is unfeasable , they could deter boys from sitting the exam.
So wrong on many counts.

Iggity · 07/03/2014 13:28

I live in Ruislip but my dentist is in St Margaret's beside Richmond. I'm sure you are more than aware of how horrendous the traffic is in this area. We turned down a place for my reception aged child at a private school in Hillingdon as J couldn't face the stress of getting to long lane for 8.30 every day. We didn't even consider north wood. I agree with rest of the posters and I know the area well. Even if there is a mini bus, life would be awful.

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