expect to walk 3 miles twice per day

[Sunshinesally78]

My DD is going to be heading to high school next year and I wouldn't class where we live as walking distance to any high school so I was having a look at my local authorities policy on bus passes and they will only issue if the school is over 3 miles away, our nearest is 2.7 miles away and is a Catholic school, we are not religious so that wouldn't be an option for us however I found it quite surprising that the expectation is for kids to walk 3 miles twice a day or am I just soft?!

Also to add, as others have asked, is there not a service bus? And if so that would be free with a young scot card anyway.

Even if you think you meet the not very generous requirements you may not as LAs are adept at finding a technicality that means they don't have to pay.
Their budgets are squeezed and this is one of the things that's been hit hard.
Most people in our village pay for the (very expensive) school coaches, some parents drive and there is a limited and very long public bus route which is unreliable and takes hours as it goes via a local town first.
No one walks or cycles as the country lane to the secondary school very fast and very dangerous (there have been deaths)
It's the main topic of conversation about our rural secondary school in the surrounding villages.

Sorry I haven't been on to answers the questions, yes there is a bus service which we will pay for as I think 6 miles per day personally is excessive especially at 11 when just starting high school. The roads are a a mix of county lanes and residential streets, I just wouldn't be happy for my DD to do that, she's not very street wise and quite nieve, she's only just got the confidence to venture to the local shop alone. I just found it quite a distance before a bus pass or some sort of subsidy is offered. I'm not sure if the Catholic school being the closest would make any difference as they do take non religious students aswell (around a quarter of their intake) however it wouldn't be our preference as they are expected to take part in the religious activities.

Seems fine. My girls have just under that and they cycle. I strongly suggest (waterproof) panniers and don’t let them start an instrument that doesn’t fit in the pannier!!

Maybe worth checking with your neighbours, our village road into the town is classed as unwalkable so the bus is funded.

Some counties will also provide transport if the child would have to walk less than 3 miles but on rural roads with no pavement, so I'd say it's worth checking.

What do older children do currently?

You need to look closely at the requirements - it may be your safe walking route is longer than the 3 miles or that the route is deemed not safe for walking ie no pavements or lighting on a stretch. We lived within the 2 miles for primary but had transport paid for as the route was country roads without lighting and not deemed safe for walking. The same applies for secondary although with the 3 mile rule for older kids.

My girls walk 4 miles in total (2 miles each way) but it’s all uphill in the way home…can be a lot when carrying books but if you have a flat route I think 2.7 is doable.