Reeds or somewhere accessible by public transport?

[TigerOnTour]

I'm looking at Reeds for 11+ entry. I live in SW London on one of their bus routes. Does anyone have a son there and find the buses easy and reliable? Would I be better just concentrating on schools accessible by public transport like CFC, KGS, Kings etc?

Should I be thinking about other schools?

Any suggestions or advice is helpful!

Not exactly for reeds but trains have cause a LOT of issues with my eldest in a senior school within M25. The school buses have been the safest mode / most reliable for transport 👍 so I'd opt for a school bus every time bit more expensive but worth it. Some parents couldn't get their child in for the trains / tube strikes

Thanks @verygreengrass you raise a good point! Do your child's buses come on time and allow them to do extra curricular activities?

Multiple routes to school, walk,scooter, bike, bus, Tube, train etc. Options to get to school is worthwhile. Some schools doesn’t have school bus but parents in area set up transport share. Clubs before and after school, so school bus group may missed those.

I'd say they are practically always on time. Unless bad traffic / flooded roads like a couple of weeks ago.

My girls school does 2 buses to incorporate clubs. My boys school runs a free school minibus to the train station to catch a train after clubs.

Some schools just run a late bus so all clubs included.

Depend on the school but the coaches are very good and a safe bet rather than unreliable public transport

Reeds parent here. Buses are definitely easy. There were issues with reliability on several routes last term, but they changed the timetable and things seem to have improved. In terms of extra-curriculars, the boys are required to do three activities and so the regular afternoon buses don't leave until 5:30pm.

In terms of public transport, many boys get the train to Oxshott station and then it's a 10 minute walk to school. My son sometimes gets the train in the afternoon if he wants to get home earlier than he would by bus.

I’d agree with Hawaii about options being important. We didn’t apply to any schools where there was only one transport option (eg only doable by school coach, or only by one train route).

On the coach, I think it does depend on your DC. Mine is involved in a lot of music, and that often means before or after school rehearsals, sometimes weekends. So a coach wouldn’t be much use, she needs the flexibility of the tube to go in early and come back late on different days. But other DC at the school who are involved in different clubs would be fine using the coach most days.

@NeverEnoughCake2 I hadn't realized it was on the Oxshott line. Reeds has now gone on the list!