How long is your DC's journey to school?

[Asiatarta]

I am trying to decide on my secondary school application preference order. All schools seem equal in everything more or less so it boils down to travel and I'm just wondering...how long does your DC travel to school? How many buses (if any) do they have to catch? Did it worry you them travelling alone to school when starting year 7? Do you track them, if so what do you use?

Thank you!

No tracking here
2 miles - can take tube and bus, 2 buses or bus and walk. Takes about 30 mins

Private bus (£1k pa), 2 minutes to the bus stop, 50 minutes on it. I used to give DS a lift in a couple of days a week but I’m wfh now. It’s an early start five days a week but I don’t think I’ll be going back soon.

50 minute direct bus journey

We’d still choose the school again but the days are long - only one bus which means she has to be very organised in the mornings which does often involve a lot of chivying on!

She’s back by 5, 6 if she’s had a club. Homework is nightly. Honestly it can make for a long day and I think you do need to be convinced it’s the right school, if it’s marginal I’d go more local. Luckily one of her school friends lives in the next village and she’s kept in with Primary mates but otherwise it’s a different social experience for them than a very local comp.

Life 360 as well - you need to make sure they have decent data on their phone though and give them a charged up portable charger.

It’s about a 20 minute walk. They can get buses but it’s easier at the moment to walk. Really glad we were able to choose schools without a long journey, plus it’s local so they can walk with friends which is nice. They weren’t the schools with the best Ofsteds but I think you have to look at the whole picture, now that DD is in GCSE year and gets a lot more homework/revision it’s good that she gets home in good time.

7 minute walk.

10 minute walk. It came down to two "good" schools, and after much thought we chose our catchment school. This was partly because DH and I both travelled about an hour door to door to secondary and didn't enjoy the time spent travelling.

5 minute walk. Mine are the nearest house to school so I go through about a 2 loaves a day as nobody can possibly walk further than our house without stopping for a rest and some toast 😆

I moved so my kids could walk to school (about 7 min). I am moving and the distance will be a 20 min walk or two buses or ten minute walk (or bus) to tube then 20 min on tube to sixth form depending on which school.

30 minutes by car (45-60 at the minute as there's a 3 month patch of roadworks & no way around that's not going to take even longer)

No school bus or PT

(Independent school. Nearest state would be a 30 minute bus in the other direction)

DS1s secondary - 2buses (or a walk and 1 bus) 30-40 mins depending on time/how full buses are. Hes been cycling since Sept as its preferable to a bus and mask. It takes him about 25mins.

DS2s secondary - 20 min walk.

I am actually quite horrified by the length and time of some of these journeys. Both mine were able to walk to school, some 15 minutes.

15 minute walk, to the local catholic, that is very good. It was one of the biggest criteria for me, for it to be local.

No apps used.

Most of these listed are shocking! I think people underestimate what a long commute does to a young person.

Year 8 (but also cycled in Y7). Cycling by herself: about 20 minutes.

Cycling with a couple of friends (which she usually does): longer because they chat so much!

Being driven by a kind parent because it’s bucketing it down: 15 mins.

I do have her on the iPhone tracker but almost never actually track her - as she cycles with friends, one of them would ring if there was a problem (eg flat tyre!).

25 minute walk each way. They walk with friends and refuse to walk with each other. As a PP said the exercise is good for them, they are doing a lot less exercise than pre-Covid (no school sports and swimming club prioritising the top squad ) so at least they are doing a daily walk.

Dc1 - 10 minute car, 30 min train, 10 minute walk

Dc2 - 5 minute car, 20+ minute bus, 2 minute walk

Dc1 school was 12 miles away, dc 2 was 5 miles away. We used to leave the house about 7.30-7.40am for both of them, and they both used to arrive home approx 4.30pm.

Sometimes distance, and even time isn’t so important as ease of journey. One 30 minute bus ride, is easier than two ten minute ones plus a walk.

What do the other local kids do in your area and they soon get used to the longer day.

Forgot to add, semi-rural environment, so no schools on doorstep.

@crimsonlake

I am actually quite horrified by the length and time of some of these journeys. Both mine were able to walk to school, some 15 minutes.

Well then you are very fortunate to have schools on your doorstep or to get into your local school!

@Oblomov20

Most of these listed are shocking! I think people underestimate what a long commute does to a young person.

Yes that is what my DH said - when he was a kid he had a long commute to a school out of area, so had no friends who lived locally, and said it wasn’t great and didn’t want our DCs to experience that.

My children's closest State secondary would have taken at least 25 minutes, the one they went to was a 50 minute walk (at their pace) which they choose over the 30 minute bus ride (only because of timings and need to walk to the bus stop). Of course if they had all been boys and passed the entry test, and we could have afforded it - they could have gone to the private school which is 5 minutes away.
I put a top limit of a 1 hour commute, but I do know people who do longer.

None in secondary at the moment but originally we lived a ten minute walk away, but we moved when DC2 was in year 10 and he had a 30 min walk. Now he has a 20 min walk to sixth form.

There's a very popular secondary about 5 mins from where we live now but unfortunately it's a Faith school.

20 miles. I drive the first 7 miles & drop him at the school bus stop.

He could have gone to a closer school, about 6 miles , but it wasn't a good school so the effort is worth it.

A longish commute is the reality of living in a rural area. Our nearest secondaries are all 5 or 6 miles away, and we're not really very rural at all (big village in the home counties). It's not that far, but can take a long time with traffic (we're lucky in that our school is the right side of town for us - the other side would double 20 mins to 40 mins).

Also, I think there's quite a lot of over-angsting on here about the impact on a child. Our 20 minutes in the car is a lovely part of the day - DS and DH listen to podcasts they like on the way there, and on the way back it's the one time that DS is really happy to chat about his day. And bus or train journeys can be fine - I remember having a real laugh on the school bus (probably not so much fun at the moment).

Spots, I agree. If we’re in the car we’re chatting or have the opportunity to do so. DS talks to his friends on the bus (only in his year group) or watches something on his phone. It would have been nice to have a great school within walking distance but there isn’t one.

10 minutes drive or 1 hour walk.