walking to school

[eddiemairswife]

What do people think is a reasonable distance for a secondary pupil to walk to school? I am tired of hearing parents (during school admission appeals) insisting that their child can't possibly walk more than about a mile, especially in the winter when it is cold and snowy. We haven't had snow here for several years, and, and anyway schools seem to close when the first flake is sighted. I know what the Government guidance on distance is, but would like to hear what other parents feel.

The government guidance is 3 miles and I think that's reasonable. It should take less than an hour

I suspect patents who are make the argument simply like a nearer school better and are throwing any argument they can think of at the appeal. If their DC has exceptional reasons which mean they cannot walk for an hour, or there is no safe walking route, then they should be eligible for free transport, but that should be taken up with the LEA nit brought to appeal

I think 3 miles should be the absolute max.

Not only do they have to carry loads of heavy stuff, but they also have to do homework (mine is doing 2 hrs every day at the moment).
And it also depends on the route - dark, uneven lanes versus well lit suburban streets?

Max half an hours walk personally

DS1s school is 2.8 miles away. He cycles.

A mile tops, assuming there is no crossing busy roads and other traffic hazards.

Depends on the available routes and the type of roads/footpaths available.

Wow a pp says a mile! That's a 15-minute walk! We live very near school, but I am pretty sure all the kids in our suburb walk to the school, and some of will have nearer a 30-min walk, totally fine.

I know someone whose DC got a place at a nearby and very well rated school, which he would have to get the bus to - abd the bus stop was a good 30 min walk! I would draw the line at that tbh, ie 30 mins to bus, wait for bus, 10 mins on bus, short walk at other end, mainly because if the variables re bus that could mean your daily journey was an hour.

But a single walk of 30-45 mins, no worries. Ds2 has a mate who often walks home cos the bus us so full, it must be a good 2.5 miles.

I think it depends on the route and the child and the day. One of mine struggles to walk the two miles to school each day, I guess due to her disability she might be entitled to transport but it would be in the form of a bus pass as she can walk to the bus stop and back, however by the time she boards the bus it would probably be full of people travelling much further to school so either she would have to stand or go through the social suicide of asking for an accessible seat.

When she only had a mile to walk she probably achieved it 60% of the time, at 2 miles it is more like 20%. A different child (though same condition but different impact) manages a slightly shorter distance about 95% of the time. I manage my work around her to facilitate her attending the right school for her needs.

I guess that is why they are seeking an individual, independent assessment of their needs. I think that a child with no additional conditions should easily manage 2 miles, possibly three on a fairly accessible route.

Although many of their classmates catch the busses for journeys of a mle or less, so I guess their parents consider it too far to walk.

I do think you have to take into account how much they carry to school, TBH. My DS walks only about 10 minutes, 15 if he dawdles but I ended up buying him an ergonomic backpack as he was struggling with a standard sports one.

Another panelist here; I think sometimes parents look at their then-10-year old and fail to appreciate that pretty soon that primary kid will be a puberty hitting secondary schooler, and can't/don't want to face the facts that the child is more than capable!

Assuming the route is safe, I would say a walk of 45mins is fine, so I guess a couple of miles. DD does a little less than that, DS would be that but he cycles, and both have done that from day one Yr 7.

DD does manage to cadge a lift in terrible weather quite often though ;-)

Mine walk 1.8 miles semi rural so not all on lit paths.
I think this is fine and they are fit and healthy.
My eldest has disabilities that mean he gets tired quicker he used to catch the bus instead to make school doable he wouldn't have managed to walk to.
So I'd say fit and healthy 3 miles. Disabled case by case approach.

Although high school kids are CAPABLE of walking a couple of miles carrying school bags in peeing rain, snow etc, I personally wouldn't want to DO it. It's pretty miserable.

It's a 30 minute walk from here to local secondary, my kids walk unless the weather is really bad. It's a huge school so lots of other kids walking long distances too. I think any longer than that can be very tiring with heavy bags, pe kits, cooking equipment etc.

Dd1 would be walking/cycling to school 2.7 miles, however due to the lack of footpaths and being on rural, unsafe for young cyclists, roads, the LA puts on a bus for students from our village - as pp says, recommendation is transport for 3 miles or more.

I personally think we mollycoddle our older children far too much. At my secondary school place of work, there are large numbers of parents who drive their children to school. I don't remover this being the case 25 ish years ago when I attended the same school. There are large numbers who catch the town bus which I guess gives them an element of independence. But I walked or cycled 2.5 miles. It was a lovely walk chatting with my friends on the way home.

The only caveats I put on secondary age getting home under their own steam would be disability and safety of the route. Rural twisty turning roads with drivers who have little awareness of other cars let alone smaller road users are not likely to be safe for teen cyclists and certainly not pedestrians, unless there are wide footpaths. Which generally doesn't happen.

It's a tricky one - the home to school transport rules say you are entitled to transport for more than 3 miles once you get to junior primary age, but realistically 6 miles a day is a LOT and I don't think you'd get many children walking it. So in practice children get driven to school.

We live rurally and are just over 3 miles from my kids school so they get transport (no public transport here). In theory my older child could/should walk to College which is the same distance, but in practice it's not possible except in high summer because the roads and footpaths (no pavements available) are too muddy and impassable.

I think it does depend on whether the school allows them to leave coat and books / PE kit / instruments etc there in a locker or whether they’re carrying heavy loads back and forth every day and being forced to choose between no coat and lugging it to every lesson. If my child was walking an hour, I’d want them to have somewhere to dry out a wet coat, and no need to carry all their books for that day in and back every day.

It depends on the location, I've lived in some areas where there is no lighting or pavement. Or the only route to the school has been via a motorway.
It also depends on the individuals health.

Over the years, the main complaints have been due to crap girls school shoes that aren't designed for anything other than light walking on dry days. A lot of teens won't wear coats so of course they get wet. And fashion backpacks instead something that is designed to hold and support.

I'd say two miles is reasonable. I know the entitlement is free transport if more than 3, but honestly would you want to walk an hour to work wearing a rucksack and carrying up to three other bags (cooking stuff, PE kit, maybe an instrument, school shoes) then the same home, day in day out, in the depths of winter or howling gales. Miserable.

I have just checked, my kids’ school is 2.8 miles walk away. They use buses. It is up a steep hill, as well. It would be great exercise, but also tiring.
Perhaps people thinking we mollycoddle our teens these days maybe don’t consider certain changes that have taken place in education over the last decade or so. Everything is so results focussed, that education is now much more competitive. Kids are drilled by schools from primary onwards to pass the tests, and getting mediocre marks if you are able is something that pupils are trained to think is failure. They are measured and tested so frequently that they know that the marks is all that matters. You can tell them otherwise, but they know the system, and the system only values marks.

Therefore I would rather my kids didn’t come home physically tired and late from having walked such a distance. They have so much homework and revision to do, not to mention their outside interests.

This does also mean that I don’t require a huge amount off them in terms of housework either, but I make up for that in the school holidays, so they do know it has to be done and how to do it.

I wish we could give our kids a more rounded upbringing. I feel like it’s academic achievement first and the other stuff just has to slide until they are older.

Less than 30 mins

I would happily walk 30-40 mins to work. Longer than that and I find it a bit of a drag and try to get a bus. I wouldn't therefore expect more of a young teenager!

I would say 30 mins but depends on safety of route and what its like, mine have a 5-10 minute walk to school but to get to another secondary they've have to walk down country roads with no pavements and cars going 60mph. In some areas there's a lot of crime, if it was a route there'ld be incidents of kids being stabbed etc, mine would not be walking it.

1-2 miles, 30 mins maximum.

I think it depends on the route and the rules at school. My school made it really awkward to bring a coat for some reason.