How long is your DC's school commute?

[Schoolhelp23]

I'm central London and have a very academic child. Can't move, so weighing up how long a commute is reasonable (for the likes of HBS, St Michael's - if she gets in). So, how long is your child's school commute?

5 minute walk.
The catchment is 5 miles though... but children from those villages have buses! (Covers 6 villages and in between areas plus outlying farms)

DD’s commute was around 40 minutes. I usually drove her but she could also get the bus (10 minute walk from home, 20 minute journey and then another 10 minutes to school). We actually only lived about 15 mins away but morning traffic coming in to the city is awful here!

will be a 40 min walk

30 to 40 mins depending on how fast DS walks. He walks with a group of friends and sometimes they stop off at the park on the way back to hang out for a while.

Primary - 20 min walk or 7 min cycle. I wouldn’t go further than that - it’s really nice for the kids to be part of the school community and have local friends.

My DC1 is very bright and is catered for very well at his state primary.

Id consider a longer commute for secondary - probably up to 45 mins but would also depend on the type of journey (would avoid rush hour public transport, lots of changes).

Edited to say we are also London - zone 2/3 borders.

As a Londoner 45mins plus was really common. Many dc travel for faith schools, grammars and private.

My dc had short commutes.

I had a rather long one: 15 minutes walk to the station, 20 minutes on the train, 15 minutes at the other end. I left at 7.50 and just made it for 8.45. It was a little longer on the way home as we finished school at 3.45 but the next train was 4.10, so a full hour to get home.

I don't recall it being a problem. It set me up for working life and a much better option than a closer but poorer school.

Ds2 and 3 walk to primary school and it takes about 4 mins
DS1 gets the bus to school and that takes about 20 mins

Takes about half an hour in car, would take a lot longer on bus (including school bus).

Somewhere between 1 hrs 5 mins and 1 hrs 20, depending on train times. It's 25 min walk, 15 min train 25 min walk, but she narrowly misses a train back, so it's a longer wait coming home, offset by getting picked up from the station most days.

She's very academic, so is ok about the commute as the school is very well matched to her.

About 2.5 minutes...😂 But we made a decision to move to the doorstep of their super selective grammar before the 11+ and prayed they would get high enough passes. A gamble which paid off X4!

Mine 10minutes walk to the bus stop
20minutes bus journey to town
10/15 minutes walk from bus stop to school

2 min walk to primary, about to be a 40+ min bus journey to secondary. Worth it to avoid the local inadequate comp tho.

20 mins by car, more if the traffic is bad. My DC get the bus which takes 40-50 mins. It's a public bus not a school bus so it stops a lot and doesn't go the most direct route.

Nature of the commute is relevant too.
So think about what the actual logistics are.
My son has 1hr+ BUT it is on a small school minibus to and from his doorstep - he loves it - headphones on and chill time. Really relaxed and regulated when he gets home.

Inner London: 10 min walk.

High school 5 min walk, 6th form an hour commute.

6 minute drive to the bus stop (out of the village and to the main road) 25 minutes on the bus and then 20-25 minutes walk, depending how how briskly they do it. They’ve been known to do it in 15 when the bus was late (1 mile)

15 minutes drive or 25 minutes bus ride

10 to 15 minutes walk.
I think very long school commutes are damaging and should be avoided, parents should've planned ahead.

I think very long school commutes are damaging and should be avoided, parents should've planned ahead.

Why would they be damaging?!

And you can’t always plan for a number of reasons plus it’s not unusual for siblings to go to different secondaries.

DS's commute purely on public transport was ridiculous, so I took him half way, five mins and then 15 minutes on a bus. We made that decision when choosing his secondary school though as his feeder school was a ten minute walk but a substandard school.
I had a one and a half hour commute to my secondary. Two buses. I went to that school as my feeder school had my step mum teaching at it and my mum wasn't happy about that. I went ti another school based on a childcare i.e.y grandparents lived nearby. Within a couple of months of me starting there they moved. I was still stuck with that commute though. It was awful, I didn't live near any of my friends.

If he hurries, about eight minutes door to door. Most people here just choose the nearest school. Little or nothing of the English hysteria about 'good schools' and OFSTED reports. Go local.

It is not a myth though that some schools are better than others - parents are right to find the one that best suits their child’s abilities and potential. Travelling is worth it in a lot of cases. I can think of very few kids near us (NI) who simply just automatically go to their nearest school.