Commute to G&L from SW London?

[Jojogabor]

We are based in Putney and my daughter has received an offer for G&L. I would be really interested to know whether anyone is based nearby (Putney, Barnes, Wimbledon) and has daughters who travel to G&L? I do wish they had a school bus as am feeling a little reluctant to let her travel by herself on public transport at this stage, at least in year 7. Do girls get picked up by parents and nannies? Would be very grateful for your thoughts and experiences! Thank you.

There are quite a few girls and boys in Putney travelling to G&L, Sacred Heart, St Pauls, Latymer etc. Almost all will be using the bus or tube. It's really unusual to be collected and dropped off by parents at Secondary School.
With both my DCs I went on the bus/tube with them for the first couple of days but then they were begging me to go on their own!
I think maybe a few more were driven this year due to Covid but that isn't normal and the journey from Putney to Hammersmith by car in normal times is a nightmare. Much easier to hop on the 220 or the tube!
Well done on the offer!

No, dropping off by parent / nanny is not the norm! My dd has done a similar journey from Y7 with no problems. I made sure she had a phone, a battery pack and several back up route options in case of problems (which she has used a couple of times) and she did initially choose to travel with friends. It’s normal for secondary age children in London to get themselves to school on public transport - there’s tons of them around at school times.

Bear in mind the closure of Hammersmith Bridge has made the journey much more difficult from south of the river and the traffic up the Fulham Palace Rd much heavier. It is not an easy journey any more. I have a Y8 DD at G&L and live in Barnes - she gets home at around 5.30pm (school finishes at 4). When the bridge was open to pedestrians she got home at 4.30. I would not send her to G&L now purely because of the journey.

From Putney it’s ok on the 220 because of the bus lanes but Barnes would be a pain ( understatement) I agree. DS can do Putney to LU in 40 minutes on bus or tube door to door so G&L should be similar.

Thanks so much, appreciate all your feedback. Our other offer is an academic scholarship at Putney High. So I know lots would say we should accept that as we live very close to the school. However, I know how great a school G&L is but the commute is the only thing setting the two apart. I think pre covid, I would have been ok with her jumping on the 220 bus with a friend. But she does look very young!! And not at all streetwise as yet. My husband thinks we should hire a nanny just to follow / shadow her!

How much is the scholarship worth?

Hi Jojogabor

I am a parent in the area. When the world calms down, you can try to pop by Hammersmith around 820am and 4pm. You will see a lot of girls from G&L, St Paul's, Latymer Upper (and boys) commuting. We know of a lot of Putney kids, who go to these schools.

It will be a bit daunting in the beginning, but I am sure that your chid is more than ready to travel by herself. I remember our first week. All the parents (we had a meet up before the start of term) in our form dropped off their DDs, with some even taking photos in front of the school on the first day. By the end of the Autumn term, a small proportion of the Year 7s are still dropped off and picked up by a parent or nanny.
In the summer, G&L or PHS (whichever you choose) should give you a list of girls in your DD's form. These schools usually group the kids based on where they live or at least have one or two or three living in the same area. You might even have a welcome event, which you can connect to other parents and their DDs. You will also soon realise that you are not alone in your apprehensions.
Congratulations on your DD. G&L is a fantastic school.

They do look young in Y6, and even at the start of Y7, but then it changes a lot.
Things that are difficult to imagine happen and they grow up and mature with the lighting speed.
I took mine at the beginning, and picked up for the first week.
Then started to give her more freedom - met her at a bus stop first, etc.
Took few weeks - mostly for me to get used to the idea of letting her travel on her own. But we (I) got there.
She was fine from the start

Thanks so much - super helpful. We also know people who travel from here so clearly it can be done. I guess we have been spoilt with such easy school runs till now. Do you think bus is preferable to taking the tube? Would need to swap at Earl’s Court. Think it’s also a short walk from bus stop and station?

You don’t need to decide just yet on specific route.
Bus may be easier to start with, and if she is on her own. But if she is traveling with a friend/group of friends - tube will be ok too.
And eventually she’ll decide what works best for her.
Just make sure you turn on location sharing on her phone - makes it so much easier for the anxious parent to watch the dot move....
Initially at least, when you are most worried.

Yes - I think the bus can take longer due to the traffic, but she will be fine with her friends.
As pointed out, the location sharing is fab. You can spy on your child whether she went straight to her form room or decided to wander inside the school first. I did this once, only because I left her at the station versus bring her to the school gate.

The tube from East Putney / Putney Bridge, with the change at Earls Court, is easy. And five minutes' walk from Hammersmith Station to the school.

Thank you all! I suspect it’s just a matter of getting used it / getting your head around the fact she is growing up and it’s the next big stage for her. How do you find G&L and how did your daughters settle in in year 7?