St Albans School from NW London

[Love2dance]

DS is due to start in September and although we will aim to move closer to St A's for the first term at least he will have to commute on the tube and then the school bus, meaning pretty early mornings. Any other NW or N Londoners got experience of this?

How did your DS cope with it?

Hoping it's all worth it as he worked hard to get in.

It’s an absolutely amazing school, my ds attends and we live approx one hour away.
However, he attends by using the school coach. As I was not confident in my child using so much public transport in year seven. He does have a few friends that use public transport to get to the school, with no coach. I would advise if you can, to definitely move as close to the school as soon as you readily can. It is such a change to their usual routine, and all boys in my ds year found the first two terms particularly exhausting. There is compulsory sports training if your ds is selected for a team at least once a week. Also, to consider any after school clubs? If your ds needs to take the late coach and then a train home they may be getting home at around 7pm+? Then there’s the homework (my son chose to spend one day a week at the library to get some done, just to get a break after school once home).
Although I’m not in N London any more, my son is tired. However, he loves the school so much (as do I!), for us it’s worth it. For the time being we cannot move, but will happily send our other boys to the school. HTH.

Thanks so much camcam1 that's just the sort of practical info I was looking for. What you've said is just what I thought might be the case. I've already warned DS he'll have to get used to an earlier routine.

DS and I were wondering if we were nuts (DS2 was born prematurely with GDD and will probably have to apply elsewhere for secondary and we had turned down a school much closer to us), but we both liked lots of things about St A's and felt DS would fit in well there.

Now we just have to find somewhere that ticks the usual boxes and is not as pricey as St A's!

I mean somewhere to live!

Have a look at Kings Langley. School bus stop, on the mainline into London and lovely villagey feel.

Depending on what type of property you are looking for? Enfield EN2 is not tooo expensive in parts and the coach goes to the ridgeway I believe. Or Cuffley/ Potters bar? Harpenden is closer to St Albans and some parts can be affordable. Also boys catch the coach from Luton and Hitchin. A few boys travel in on no coach from Watford also.
The work load is rather intense but the boys are all
In it together and I like that they go to library after school. Wishing you ds all the best at St Albans. X

Excellent, thank you both I will definitely have a look at all of those places. All very ironic as I am a Londoner born and bred but my later MIL was from Herts (Buntingford).