Sutton grammar

[Jojok1975]

Hey! Son is sitting the SET in Sept, we live in West Ewell. Someone said there is a school bus?! Or is it a case of training it? Concerned if my son gets in he will have a tricky journey.

Yes, there is a bus. tfl.gov.uk/bus/timetable/470/?direction=inbound It goes all round Cheam on the way to Sutton. But is free with YP Oyster card.

i thought they did a school bus? This one must take hours!

No school buses - the school does have mini-buses but they're only used for trips to/from Northey Avenue, sports fixtures and 'field trip' type ones.

The 470 would take about 35-45 minutes to get from Epsom (so a bit less time from West Ewell) to Sutton but very much depends on the traffic. It is direct though. Many pupils' journey time will be considerably longer and may require more than one mode of transport too.

@Jojok1975 - I would think carefully about applying to any school you can't easily get to by using public transport. You'll see lots of threads here asking about lift shares and private taxis (normally to Tiffin). If it's a difficult journey it would make sense to move or apply elsewhere.

Think we will opt for the train.

sandybayley - it's a straightforward route though. Nothing like lift sharing/private taxiing from West London to the Tiffin schools.

When you have a child gifted enough to pass and crap schools locally there really isn’t a choice!

Thought Cheam High and Glyn have good reputations though, do they not?

Out of catchments for both so highly doubtful we would get in

If it's an ok train journey I'd go for it then.

That's a pity Jojok1975. SGS is a fabulous school but more so for pupils into STEM subjects.

I'm very surprised that your son wouldn't get into Glyn (it doesn't have a fixed catchment area but West Ewell must surely be close enough?). Lots of boys commute to Sutton from Ewell and Epsom - if your child is smart enough to get in, he should be able to negotiate public transport. I would add that the schools locally aren't crap and that 'gifted' may not be enough to get in to Sutton. I would concentrate on helping him practice for the exams and worry about the train timetable once he's been offered a place.

You have to live MUCH closer to get into Glynn than West Ewell! Far too far to get into Cheam High as well, which leaves you with Epsom & Ewell or Blenheim High. If your son can get into SGS, this is clearly the best option, and the public transport isn't really too tortuous. Good luck.

If you are out of catchment for Glynn then you must be quite a way from East Ewell station or Epsom station. Speaking Southern trains via Sutton are not very reliable, which is why many children use the bus. Plus it is free. You need to consider that the train journey is 10 mins from Epsom plus a walk.
If you live in West Ewell would Tiffins be another option with 406 or 418 buses?
You could also look at bursaries at selective private schools: Kingston grammar, St John's, Epsom or CLFS - all very competitive, though.

We're close to you - my son goes to Worcestor Pk by train (10 mins) then gets the x26 bus. He can also get the train to Epsom then train to Sutton but Southern trains are pretty unreliable so he prefers the bus option.