Taking the tube or London Underground to school

[chillidev]

Does anyone have children taking the tube to school?
Particularly the Central Line to West End.

Merrylegs very good points!

The bigger issue is not the journey to and from school. They get street smart quickly, know which carriages are emptiest and travel with friends. Dd also seemed to manage to get a lot of homework (vocab learning etc) done. But the fact their friends are scattered.

I was astonished how quickly DS mastered the A to Z and Google maps and headed off to visit friends all over. The big advantage is that they were all accessible by public transport. Somehow by being clear about phoning, curfews etc we managed to avoid becoming a late night taxi service. Other parents were less lucky. Once you start its hard to avoid.

I'm happy to hear the good, the bad and the ugly. As that helps me prepare for all eventualities. And I accept one cannot eliminate all the risks on the tube (or off it for that matter). The ideas around planning for the inevitable mishaps are priceless. Actually, I have twin boys, so they will be able to travel together which will be a great help. On balance I feel much better about them taking the tube next Sep. (they will be 11!).

OP, my DD travels into the West End via tube. She used to take the bus, but wanted a faster journey. To be completely honest, I still get a bit nervous, but that's me - she's completely fine about it and it's terrific for her independence and confidence, as she's become very good at getting around London. DD even gave directions to a tourist the other day and was delighted with herself.

I went to CLSG. Used to get the northern line everyday. When I was young my dad used to come with me. When I was a bit older a gang of us would travel together. It was fine.

Loads of kids travel alone on tube to school and always have done, you see them everywhere, even at primary age. One of my dc's friends has done it from the age of 9. If your boys are twins nothing to worry about. They need to learn independence and to be street smart.

Also the tube that I got was pretty quiet when we'd get on it. I suspect that might be different in your case, but it wasn't peak rush hour when we were leaving school

OP I would suggest doing trial journeys with your twins individually too, so they can cope on their own if their sibling is not travelling with them for some reason. It's good that they will travel together but may feel lost/vulnerable if they have to do it on their own (if sibling is sick, for example).

I would also suggest that they get used to going places on their own the summer before, DS took himself to a cricket scheme by train, or perhaps going to school on their own for the final term of Yr 6.

The biggest problems seemed to come from those kids who had not really crossed a road on their own, and then, suddenly in Yr 7 were supposed to be responsible and independent. The distractions and excitement of a new school meant they were hanging out in a local park when their mums were at home waiting anxiously. DD had been commuting to school with her older brother from age 8 (direct bus) and so oddly appeared to be more cautious and aware.

A lot depends on the child. Being a twin helps. A small minority were still driven to school all the way through to sixth form. Though from observation over-protectiveness is not the best way to develop independence and resilience. Instead consider potential problems and the way your DC might handle them.