Secondary school commute?

[Animalover]

Hi,

For a top academic secondary school (A*-A %96), how many minutes of door-to-door travel do you think is worth it for your child?

Max one hour

When I was that age I was 90 mins. Pretty standard.

Having taught in such a school, I wish parents would have capped it at an hour. The ones who travelled longer, on top of a long very intense school day, were dead on their feet and really not taking in as much as they should have been. They were just shattered.

Im not a fan of long secondary commutes. I don’t think it’s always in the child’s best interest if you look beyond purely the academics. However a lot would depend on the complexity. A single bus that left from near a child’s house and took an hour would not be as bad as a walk and several buses taking a similar amount of time but with more potential for delays transport being missed, etc.

I agree with one hour.

I would depend on what are your other options and how close they are. How much more preferred is this school in relation to the second-most-favoured one and what is the difference in commute?
Anything over 1 hour (especially if complex / involving different means of transport) will have an impact, both in terms of travelling time / early mornings / late evenings (and time taken away from other pursuits) but also willingness and ability to engage in activities clubs before or after school and also social life.

I don't think A*-A %96 justifies a longer commute than a lower achieving school. It's all about finding the right solution for you and your child.

My DS leaves at 7.25 to catch school bus which then gets him there 8.30 for school to start at 8.40. That’s doable. Older DC went to same school but didn’t like the school bus so did 2 trains and 1 mile walk at each end - he left at 7.15 for that.

Its a state grammar and well worth the journey

Does the commute for your daughter involve you driving a short distance to station, 15 min train journey and then 7 min walk to school by any chance?

Firstly it depends on the child; for two of my three this would not have been a good school.

Secondly it depends on the commute. Walk-bus-walk is better than walk-bus-train-walk. As in less likely to go wrong.

Thirdly it depends on other options. Is there a school 5 mins away that’s almost as good in terms of results?

I would say absolute max an hour door to door. That’s my commute and it’s ok.

I see others agree pretty much.

What are the nearer schools like, and how good are their outcomes? If you are looking at that kind of rating I'm guessing it's either a grammar or a selective private school and your child is pretty academic? The question therefore is how do the nearer schools perform for the most academic pupils?

If your child is likely to be able to achieve A*-As and the other schools get almost no As, then there is quite a likelihood that they aren't going to push your child to achieve really highly. The commute is then 100% worth it. If the other schools achieve those grades for their highest achievers, even though their overall results are worse because some of their students would never be able to achieve those grades, then don't bother with the commute.

Actually, we have a school about a 20-minute drive away, but it’s quite small. The results are good (around 75% A–A*); however, the facilities aren’t great. I do believe my DD would grow and thrive in the academic environment, so I keep wondering whether a longer commute to another school would really be worth it.

How long is the commute to the further school? And a 20-min drive – is that you driving?? So that's 1.5 hours of your day, every day?

A commute to secondary IMHO needs to be manageable by the student themselves.

Any commute involving you driving is a no-no from me. Teens need their independence and to be with their friends. Way more important than the supposed quality of the school. Also surely it's your DD decision, not yours.

DD did an hour each way on public transport. I would not have wanted her to travel longer than this. And she was extremely tired to begin with. She did get used to it, though, and had a nice group of friends to travel with.

@Animalover as other have said, the type of commute (can your DD do it independently? How many different means of transport? How frequent / reliable is the means of transport) matter. You mention 20 minutes by car for the closest school, but how likely are you to be driving her every day, including for extra curricular, for the next seven years? I am assuming the other school is by public transport but how many changes, etc. As a related matter, where do other school children live? As they get older, it is very nice is they can hang around with friends that are relatively close by...
You mention the facilities but how likely is your DD likely to use them? If the main difference is on sport facilities and your DD is not going to use them, not sure how relevant they would be.
And even on the academics, is there a significant number of kids getting strong results in the one closer by? What is the range of GCSE and A level options? What are the opportunities for enrichment? Are both of the them single sex? What is the ethos / vibe?
Maybe if you actually share the schools in question and means of transport, people can help you identify other comparators to factor in beyond 'how far would you go for an extra 15% 9-7 in GCSEs?

Long commutes are a killer in years 10 and 11. They either end up giving up hobbies or not having enough time to study. If it is a train journey where they can sit and do homework, that is fine. If it is chopping and changeing and busy and stressful I would personally always cap it at 45 minutes. They will be carrying instruments, hockey sticks, PE stuff, be muddy if they play rugby or have a cricket bag or whatever - that all makes it a lot worse, plus all their books. If you would not happily do it for work (the exact same journey) carrying a mini suitcase every day, then it is too much for a child.

Half hour walk or they’re not going there. I don’t think this is the answer you’re after.

Half hour walk or they’re not going there.

I tend to agree. Walking distance or a shortish bus ride, ideally on a local bus, not school bus. Local friendships and a journey the child can do independently are hugely important, imo. If one child is an hour from school in one direction, and friend is an hour away in the opposite direction, it makes meeting up out of school much more difficult.

Yes this was me in a so sought-after grammar area.

Dh similar. We live a two-min walk from my DCs’ secondary.

We had the choice between a school which is a 25 min walk away vs a school which is a 45 min school coach ride away. We chose the latter.

I was worried about the commute (and initially leaned towards school 1 for this reason) but I have since realised that a 25 minute walk in bad weather, carrying a heavy bag (laptop etc) and sports kit, is actually far more tiring than a coach which collects from 4 min walk away and drops to the door of school. She gets to relax, chat, revise, check messages etc on the coach.

Also I wouldn’t want my child doing the walk alone in the dark (so from November to February ish).

I agree with all the pp who say the nature of the commute is as important as the length.

I think it depends where it is and how they can get there / back. The independent schools round here have buses that must easily do an hour commute each way and they have late buses for the kids who stay to after school activities. So whilst it's a long day, all they have to do is catch the bus in a morning and leave on the right one in an evening. I know some schools that have buses that only leave at the end of the school day and you have to make your own arrangements if you stay late.
An hour on a public bus is a very long time and an hour on a train gets you quite some distance. And you need to consider what happens if the train is cancelled - are you in a position to collect them from the station and drive them to school to make sure they get there on time?
Have you ever done an hour commute yourself? I wouldn't want to do it 5 days a week so I'm not sure I could inflict that on a teenager who has still has homework to do when they get home in an evening!

1h max.

I think a longer commute is doable in the lower years but it's much harder in the exam years - and it can affect their ability to socialise. My 3 sons attend/ed an incredible state grammar and the boys with the longer commutes find it difficult to get to social events or stay late for music/drama/match practice etc. Personally I think an hour is a maximum.

5 minutes walk to station 25 minutes on train and 10-15 mins walk to school?