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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

how long is your dc's journey to school?

31 replies

halcyondays · 11/01/2017 10:05

DD has to decide soon which schools to put down for secondary. I think that she's be better going to one of the closer schools which would be within walking distance and/or a short bus ride. Two are good, one not so much. DH is keen on some of the other schools which may be "better" but would involve her getting two buses on the way home. DD has Aspergers and I think that the added journey time would be an unnecessary stress. Also there would be noone she knows at these schools.

OP posts:
ParadiseCity · 11/01/2017 10:07

DS gets a bus to school and enjoys it. He does a bit of last minute revision and has made friends with kids in other years.

I'm not sure if he'd feel the same about getting two buses though. Could you try it out one day? (Obviously not if it's a school children only bus!)

Fuckityhi · 11/01/2017 10:09

She'll make friends so it doesn't matter if she doesn't know anyone.

DS started high school in September and he has a 15 minute drive to the bus stop and then the bus takes about 40 minutes to get him to school. He made friends on the bus and it hasn't been an issue with extra time going to school. We live right beside another high school but I'd much prefer him to travel and go to a school with better outcomes for children

Original poster
halcyondays · 11/01/2017 10:19

Good idea to try it, I think it's the getting two buses that makes it worse. And she's not great with getting up early.

OP posts:
TanteJeanne · 11/01/2017 10:24

How long would the journey to the better school take? I'd be tempted to go for the better school but bear in mind the impact the journey time will have on any after school activities. Also how extra travel time combined with more homework will impact on leisure time.

Original poster
halcyondays · 11/01/2017 10:30

With one of the schools, she's probably miss the connecting bus and have to wait half an hour for the next, which isn't great.

OP posts:
Titsywoo · 11/01/2017 10:32

I used to get 2 buses to school and it wasn't a big deal to be honest - I just got used to it.

DD has a 15 min walk to school which is great but I'd tend to choose the better school over a slightly longer journey.

AllTheLight · 11/01/2017 10:35

DS starts secondary in Sept and will have a 15/20-min bus journey.

I don't think it matters if she doesn't know anyone. Around here, they tend to split up all the kids from the same primary between different classes anyway.

HPFA · 11/01/2017 14:10

Agree that in principle a bus journey is fine - DD's is a forty minute journey. But it is virtually door-to-door. A two bus journey with a thirty minute wait sounds like it could soon become very hard work.

Jinglebells99 · 11/01/2017 14:13

Mine have moved to a better school in the next town. They have 15 min walk to train station, 10 minute train journey then 15 minute walk to school.i often give them a lift to the station

TeenAndTween · 11/01/2017 14:16

DD2 has a 15min stroll. Fantastic.

DD1 has a 1hr door-to-door to get to college via 2 trains. Stressful and expensive!

troutsprout · 11/01/2017 14:32

Ds has asd.. we fretted a lot about the translation to secondary . In the end, we chose the nearest school with the best Sen provision. It is a 20 ish min walk from the house. Dd (nt) is there now.. (ds Left 3 years ago).

LittleBoat · 11/01/2017 14:43

dd (yr8) - 15 minute walk with other girls. Other girls are quite flaky and there is lots of falling out and 'I'm not walking with her' kind of shite. I would hate for dd to be stuck on a bus with this. As it is, she can leave them to it and be home/at School under her own steam in 10 mins.

She is also hopeless at getting up in the mornings so we only looked a secondary Schools within walking distance.

DS will join her in September as although he is an early bird, the price of travel passes was ridiculous and so ruled out schools further afield.

LumelaMme · 11/01/2017 14:43

About an hour, but fairly straightforward. I wouldn't send them to a school where they had to make a connection that they might miss.

Long journeys - esp. those that involve a lot of walking or much hanging about for public transport - are bloody miserable and tiring in the winter months. What my DC do is close to the limit of what I'd tolerate for them.

BackforGood · 12/01/2017 00:00

Mine walk. It's a mile and a half. How long depends on how much they dilly and dally along the way Grin
Can take best part of an hour once they start calling for various people on the way, but needn't if they got a wiggle on and went straight there.

I wouldn't be keen on 2 buses - it's the connection that makes it more of a challenge. I know people do it every day, but where there are good options without having to do this, it would count as a real negative, on a list of things I was putting both negatives and positives about each school.
Wouldn't rule it out completely. I meet up with girls I started school with over 40 yrs ago, and we realised that people fell into friendship groups according to those they travelled with, an awful lot of the time - so a longer bus/train journey can have it's benefits.

It becomes more of a problem when they want to stay for something after school - a club, a sports practice or fixture, a music rehearsal, a detention (?) or are late back from a trip or something.

starfish4 · 12/01/2017 10:18

We were lucky in that we have a really good school within a ten minute walk.

I appreciate they do make friends on the buses, but for my DD it's been much better going locally. She's now in Year 11 is often late due to after school clubs, staying to do extra coursework in the hope of a higher grade, chatting with friends or with a couple of sixth formers she's met at one after school club. She doesn't have to worry about being restricted by catching the bus basically. We tend to have one or two girls back a month due the fact they want to do something after school and can't get home if they miss the bus. Their parents then have to collect them later - all manageable but you have to be willing.

As I say, my DD is in Year 11 and school are starting to ask them to stay behind for extra lessons/support after school on the approach to their GCSEs. For us I'm glad we don't have to then worry about collecting her - I don't have a car and DH often works late so no lift there.

Evergreen777 · 12/01/2017 11:58

My own DC have always been at local schools (under 15 mintues by bike or foot). My DSC, on the other hand, have had a bus ride since they started secondary, which then turned into a long wait for an infrequent bus, then two bus rides as bus routes got cut. It's been really tough for them, and resulted in two of them coming to live with us (nearer school) for much of the time.

If you're contemplating the bus ride, try it out first, at rush hour times and see what it's actually like. What looked like a door to door 30 minute bus ride from the timetable, in practice took them anything from 45 minutues to two hours - twice a day. They were late for school every day. They could do no extra cirricular activities after school (one of the reasons you might have chosen the school in the first place) and very few social outings with friends. Their mum has now given up on the bus and is driving them to school (and one DSC has returned to live with her as a result). Still means no after school activities or socialising as the two living with her have to be picked up at the same time.
I wouldn't have chosen to send my own DC that kind of distance and think with hindsight she probably regrets it.

dalmatianmad · 12/01/2017 12:03

Mine have a 20 minute walk to the bus stop and then approx 30 mins on the school bus, bus fare cripples me at £3.00 each return. Doesn't sound a lot but coupled with their dinner money, costs a fortune every week.

They go to a better school and have met so many other kids from different years....

It's also given them some independence going on the bus Smile

stopthecavalry · 12/01/2017 15:16

In your shoes my consideration would be best fit/best SEN support. All things being equal, with ASD, I would lean towards the okay schools with the easiest journeys.

MrGrumpy01 · 14/01/2017 22:36

If we get into our first choice school we will hopefully move to be within walking distance. All of my schools involve a bus ride and it makes an early start to the day, I see a lot off children walking to the bus stops by 7.30.

Also as mentioned the cost involved. We will probably have to pay £3-£5 a day, that mounts up especially when #2 starts.

NynaevesSister · 15/01/2017 11:42

Option of either a train or a bus. Train is faster but costs and the bus is free but takes ages. He leaves at 8:06 to get to school for 8:40. I would much rather he had a school in walking distance but this is a much better school for him.

gleegeek · 15/01/2017 11:53

15 min walk away. I went on a bus which took 45mins after a 30min walk to the bus stop. I was bullied on the bus and never felt truly part of the school as I couldn't easily stay for extra curricular activities or socialise outside school hours. All in all it didn't work for me and I was thoroughly miserable. I'd go for the closer school if possible...

LittleIda · 15/01/2017 14:01

It's about a 35 minute walk. Unfortunately most of that is up a big hill. She is with friends though and doesn't seem to mind. Her friends live locally and she and we are happy with the school.

VeritysWatchTower · 15/01/2017 21:39

I think there are several things to consider.

The difficulty of the journey (I had to get 2 buses to school and 2 buses home, in the dark in winter.)

The cost of the journey.

The time it takes.

Ds1 is in year 9, we moved house years ago to get within an outstanding secondary school catchment so he walks to school. Just under 1.5 miles.

It is easy for him to do after school activities and get home safely.

Also consider how much time is lost travelling when there is homework to be completed.

missmapp · 15/01/2017 21:44

Ds1 takes two buses to school , the overall journey is about 45 mins. He has asd and has managed really well. We had a few practice routes and went through what if questions throughout the summer ( what if you lose your bus pass.....What if you miss the bus etc) .He also knew no-one at his new school. He has struggled to make friends but lives the school and it is certainly the right one for him

simpson · 16/01/2017 07:27

My DS (yr7) gets 2 buses & whilst it isn't ideal (not first choice school) he seems fine on the whole with it.

The only wobble we had was last week: think complete pissing rain, traffic at a standstill etc. So he got off the bus & walked for 30 mins and got home completely soaked and a bit tearful Sad

Mornings are fine as he is an early bird Smile