school 50 minutes away

[salsamummy]

I have registered ds at a private school in Somerset 50 minutes away by train. It's a rural line so only 4 stops from Dorset where we live. It offers flexi boarding which really suits us as looked at Sherborne boys school and Bryanston which as a day pupil is pick-up at 9pm. Would you think it's ok for a 13 year old to travel this far??

If 50 minutes door to door, no problem. If 50 minutes on train plus twenty minutes either end that is a different matter. Also think about what happens if the planned train is cancelled. DD is at a school with a 9 mile catchment. We live nearby but some of her classmates from Y7 have coped perfectly well with journeys of around an hour but this is suburban London where if one train is cancelled another comes along fairly soon.

I was advised to expect fewer parents to come and support events etc as apparently a school that has children coming from a wide catchment can suffer that but in general it hasn’t been the case at DD’s school, but can be isolating at some schools.

Do also think of friendships that may be made, some may be the same distance on the other side of the school.

Kings Bruton? I think your main issue is potential cancelled trains as above. Otherwise if he wants to do it, no issue.

I understand the friends issue already as at a prep school with boarding. I presume he would stay at school if a train was cancelled. The school is 2 minutes from the station. There is also a school bus I will be able to collect from.

We had the same issue OP, lived rural so about an hour door to door (bus 50mins, 10mins walk), got home at about 4:45.

I was lucky that I changed my working hours so I could drop her off 3/4 morninsg (only 20mins in the car) but it meant I had longer working days.

Tbh it was bearable for DD but I do not think she would have coped if she got the bus all 5 mornings (left at 7am) as it can be extremely long day.