Taking tube to secondary school

[Avala2019]

Wanted to hear from parents whose kids take the tube to school from year 7. Considering a school in central London but the main drawback is that it is in central London and so DS, 11, would need to get a very busy train to work. The journey in itself is very short (35 minutes door to door) but the main issue is a packed tube station, packed tube where DS could get crushed, then packed station the other end. Not really what I want for him at 11.

The London secondary school children I see walking to the tube station in the morning go to school around 7.30. This is, I think, before the tubes are packed.

Depends what time they go to school. The kids that take the Northern Line through Zone 1-2 tend to do so around 7:30ish. You often have school kids with commuters and that combination tends to work well as younger kids are offered seats and older kids often like to stand near the windows with the seasoned commuters. After 8:30 and the trains also get busy with tourists and that’s when there’s a problem with crushes etc because a lot of tourists don’t really care.

One of DS's friends did this. A parent worked in the same area and commuted with him in the mornings when he first started. And he was also fine on Tubes right from the off. It's a very easy form of transport.

But it's still a bit grim to be shoehorning yourself into a packed Tube in the morning. If it's a less busy commute, it's fine - you'll see loads of secondary pupils on Tubes and suburban trains. It's very normal.

But if you wouldn't fancy the commute for any reason (over crowding, unreliability) then do think twice about whether you should be putting your DC through it.

*Not really what I want for him at 11.i

Then send him to a different school.

Also, there are posts on mumsnet all the time about how you can’t get into a school in London unless you live in the playground of the school itself. How is he attending a school a 35 min train ride away?

PotteringAlong

It'll be private sector and I'm guessing Northern Line to CLSB

@potteringalong it could be private?

DH did this sort of commute from age 11, he found it fine. He said it prepared him well for commuting and made him feel independent.

DH did it for years and never had any problems - despite leaving a bag on a station platform in the City in the mid 90s, which he got in serious trouble for!

Londoners have had to do this forever. It’s not brilliant but it’s not a big deal either.

The London secondary school children I see walking to the tube station in the morning go to school around 7.30. This is, I think, before the tubes are packed.

This very much depends on the tube line!

DD goes on the tube and gets a train about 7.45. She usually gets a seat.

It's a reality of choosing to live in central London. Plenty of kids take packed transport, you should see the buses here, they are only every 30 mins so the one arriving 10 mins before school starts (2300 pupils at the school!) is a tad busy you could say...

This would be for a private school (obviously!) and we don't live in central London but in zone 3 so DS would need to commute into the centre of town to go to school. The school in question is a lot better than our local state secondary but the question is whether it's worth the commute. The journey is short but always packed, both tube stations are very very busy. Not sure I can put him through that which would mean he goes to worse school to save him the commute.

That sort of journey is the norm for kids in London.

The underground is full of kids brandishing their Zip cards.

His classmates will probably be onn the same tube.

Thanks Unshriven. His mates are mostly going to the local state secondary or getting buses OUT of London rather into the centre. Just don't feel comfortable with it but can't decide if I am being precious and it's actually ok. I know other kids do it but it feels like it's a decision between a good education and good quality of life!

But his new classmates, and the children in the upper years, will generally be travelling a similar route, if not the same one.

Private schools in London take kids from much further away than your son will be travelling. He'll be more than fine.

After a couple of weeks, the journey won't even register.

My DD is currently in Year 7, her journey involves taking the tube or train and then a bus. As she is my eldest and quiet and shy - I was on tenterhooks the first few days. She's met a bunch of children she travels with and not only to her school. It is by far the norm for secondary school children to travel at that time of day, I had no idea but my eyes have been opened. It's enabled her to become so independent to the point of knowing what to do if one bus / tube / train isn't working. It's not ideal having a 45-60 minute commute but at least it won't be a shock when she starts working in later life! Good luck on your choice of school

Doesn't the school have buses? Independent schools generally have an extensive school bus network. He could do that for a year or two until he's older and you're happy with him taking the tube.

Or if you're still at the choosing stage (so not for this September) then you could look at schools further out. He'd be going the opposite way to everyone so it wouldn't be that busy.

The private school can't be that much better if you are uming and ah-ing over the commute.

I went from Muswell Hill to Oxford Street by bus and two Tubes for 7 years, OP (when I was in years 7-13). All absolutely fine - never had any trouble.

Private schools in Central London don't have buses because they'd take three times as long - and there's the tube which is free, so parents wouldn't use them.
There are also state schools in Central London with wide admissions, especially the Catholic schools. I'm in z3 and half the kids are travelling 45 min to schools all over.

The kids mainly get trains just before the rush hour, but it's not really a problem.

Not sure why it's obvious that it's a private school... State schools do exist in central London

Loads of children commute to school by tube in London, not just private, there are faith schools that recruit widely too.
He's growing up in London, part of his education will be navigating the tube and buses around the city. He'll get really good at it - I did it for my secondary school, it's a great life skill.
The tube can be awful, but not usually for every single journey. He will probably find a few more from the school along the route too.
Do a few trial runs with him at the times he would be travelling, it might make you feel a bit better about it yourself.
I live in zone 4 and will certainly not be put off some of the central London schools we're looking at for DD because of the tube journey.

We know several children at CLSB and CLGS and Westminster Under - all travel in by tube, a couple by train and it does seem daunting at 11 but they quickly get used to it. Yours seems an easier journey than most if it truly is 35 minutes door to door. Problems can arise when they have a heavy school bag and then a heavy or unwieldy instrument or sports bag (or all three on one day which we are facing!). We have to help on those days. Can you/partner travel in with them initially until he gets used to the journey?