Which school?!

[Marypoppins19]

School A
Bus from our door step.
Very academic and pushy which isn’t a perfect fit for DC but other aspects such as ict and sport are a good match. Friends going from school.

School B
Will need to travel by train (short distance) but will have to walk back from station which is 1.7 miles along a busy road.
Worry about the dark winter months.
Smaller school, excellent pastoral, great results. Friends from wider circle going.

Help!

Initially thought School A but if the journey isn’t an issue to your child then you should think of it in that way. Have you asked their opinion?

Also... Don’t forget that high results don’t always mean a fab scholl

The walk from the train station is a long one, especially carrying rugby/trumpet/delete as appropriate.

Unless you can address that, I'd stick with the 1st option.

I could pay £5 a day for a taxi - would stop the need to walk back twice a week

This is such hard work 😩

A

A, the journey would worry me.

A. I’d not let my Y8 do that walk in the dark winter months, let alone a Y7.

Are you sure A is pushy? Or is it the parents?....

I'd go with A. The school sounds good and all children are different. There are non academic kids in academic schools and they find their tribe. That shlep home would annoy me, rainy evenings, not being able to go to a mates house after school. It's a lot more than just journey. This is coming from someone who has a DD with an EHCP and we were really considering a school an hour away. It's really not worth it and all schools are now getting more academic with the league tables being so competitive.

School B issue can be solved with a taxi......

No offence but that is a big taxi pot you must have. You seem really keen on it if you’re prepared to taxi him everyday, bear in mind he won’t always just go there and back. Going back to school for rehearsals etc it makes a massive difference being able to walk/ catch a bus. Plus I would have to have to call a taxi in front of my mates everytime I was going home.

School A. You might find it is not as pushy as you think and they will have ict and sport. The long walk home from station in dark, cold weather is not on and think what you'll save in taxi fares if you choose A.

I’m just trying to explore all options. The school A bus works out more expensive then option B with a taxi ironically! I prefer School A, he prefers the feel of B. I think academically A feels stronger. It’s so hard!

The taxi would be twice a week