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!

My DC get the bus, it's a 25 min journey (public bus not school bus). It's v reliable and has only not turned up once in three years. It gets them to school with 20 mins to spare, so they've only been late a couple of times - the bus is often a few minutes late, but rarely as much as 20 mins. I don't track them but they would phone me if there was a problem.

6 miles into town and then the school minibus picks them up for a further 9 miles, this is the school that meets DD’s needs the best. The nearest school they could go to is 6 miles and school transport provided by council.

Also during the Covid situation the bus company have provided an extra bus at school start and finish times, to enable distancing.

About an hour and 10 minutes each way.

DC is in Y7. 10 min walk to bus stop, 10 min bus ride, 5 min walk, but allow extra 20 min as buses are supposed to go every 10 min but are often 'full' atm.

It's about a 40 min walk but mostly up a steep hill, so walking home is more likely than going there.

Some of these commutes are long.

8 minute walk
5 -10 minute bus ride (depends on traffic)
5 minute walk

Middleager, lucky yes.
However with forward planning when purchasing a house our priority was to buy one close to good local schools which were walking distance for our children.

How do people manage to do these long drives taking their kids to school and also get themselves to work?

15 minute walk, although it seems to take an hour to get home.

We are extremely lucky to have two very good secondary schools within easy walking distance.

DD1 used to take a bus last year, one bus and it usually takes less than 5 minutes though closer to 15 during those times of morning, but where we are in the routes and new occupancy rules, they don't tend to stop here during the rush hours.

Now, it's about 15 minutes on commuter scooters, a little less than double that if they walk (we timed it over the summer).

I was nervous for DD2 to go by herself on her first day when Y7s had an induction day (DD2 was nearly a year younger than DD1 when she started), but she's done well. They all have Family Link on their phones, but I've not turned on the location/tracker functions.

Whichever grammar/ secondary dc1(y6) & the younger 4 get in to it'll be a 30 minute bus ride/20 minute drive. We're rural so can't escape a ride unfortunately. Only a 2 minute walk to the bus stop from our house though.

This is interesting - trying to decide currently between schools one of which is walkable and the other is about 40mins commute by bus... leaning towards the walkable school (as one of many factors to take into account).

5 mins walk - live in a village with school.

squidsister get up early!

In our case, the school and the job are in the same town, so it's the same direction anyway.

20 minute walk, part of the reason we chose it (other options were a bus or train journey away).

I really like that DC can always walk home independently, and we don't have to worry about public transport timetables, or leaves on the line or whatever.

@crimsonlake

Middleager, lucky yes. However with forward planning when purchasing a house our priority was to buy one close to good local schools which were walking distance for our children.

Well you are lucky. Not everybody can afford to do that.

Bus probably about 50 minutes. But bus stop is a 25 min walk so I drive them to the bus stop on my way to work.

Bus home, about 45 mins but they finish school at 3.25 and bus doesn't come until nearly 4. Then they have the 25 min walk home, sometimes i pick them up but they walk if the weather's ok.

They are out the house 7.30am -5pm ish.

6-7 minute walk.

The high school is actually closer to us than the primary she attended!

DD leaves home at 8.30 and is back by 4.30. DS leaves at 8 and is back by 3.30. They could probably both leave later but they hate being late and it gives them time to dawdle and chat to friends.

Having schools within walking distance is one of the advantages of living in an urban area. The downsides are smaller gardens and not having the countryside on the doorstep. It’s all pros and cons. For us we like the fact we can walk everywhere, we don’t use the car very often at all. It feels quite liberating. But I understand it’s not for everyone, other people prefer to live rurally or somewhere quiet. It’s individual preference.

We have quite a few secondary schools nearby that are perfectly fine, and what I don’t understand is all the angst from the local parents about whether the local schools are good enough, and parents putting their kids through tests and long commutes because they can’t bear the idea of the local comprehensive . It seems like they think unless you’ve had to fight to get into a school, it can’t possibly be any good.

When DD got her place it was about 5 miles and 2 buses. We knew we would move if she got a place there. Unfort it took longer than expected so I gave lifts half of the week and grandparents picked up sometimes leaving her only two mornings and max 2 afternoons for this commute. We moved after 4 months.

Now it’s 2-3 miles and 1 bus that takes 10 mins, 15-20 mins door to door.

My parents live rurally and I used to get the coach because it was over 3 miles to the catchment school. I was first on at 7.40am but first off in the afternoon. I used to do a lot of homework in the mornings!

We can see the secondary school out of our bathroom window

15 minute walk to secondary school thankfully. I read about some children's school commutes and I really feel for them...but I suppose it's managing their expectations for the life of a worker.

DD takes the school bus, 30 minutes journey, 3 minutes to bus stop. She walks with friends and pretty much all children in the village go to the same school as it’s our catchment one.

@JustCallMeGriffin

15 minute walk to secondary school thankfully. I read about some children's school commutes and I really feel for them...but I suppose it's managing their expectations for the life of a worker.

I asked DD how she feels about her commute (1hr 30 each way) and she said it was fine - she can watch a whole episode of something on Netflix on the train home, or get all her homework done so she has the evening free when she gets in. Her only thing she doesn't like is when it's dark in the morning.

She also has music lessons two evenings a week in London, so if she was at school locally she'd still have those journeys in on top of school so it works for her.

It does depend a bit on the child - DD has never had an early bedtime and is one of these kids with rather too much energy, so she doesn't find it tiring at all. Other children might find it harder to cope with.

DC 1 : left home 7.20 car pool to station 7 miles away , train 7.40 , 15 min walk at other end arrived at school at about 8.15 for 8.25
DC2 , 10 mins walk to bus stop bus at 7.45 got to school 8.25
DC3 similar time DC1 car to station , earlier train 7.20 as longer walk( 25 mins or so) at other end .