Travelling to school? How?

[Animalover]

Hello,

My daughter has an offer from a really good secondary school (top 10 in the UK), but unfortunately it is not local. We have a few travel options:

1. Driving:
I could drive her, but it would take about 45–70 minutes depending on traffic. We would need to leave home around 7:30–7:40 am.

2. School bus:
She would need to walk about 15 minutes to the school bus stop and catch it around 7:20 am.

3. Train:
She could take one overground train for about 25 minutes, then walk 10–12 minutes to the school. We live about 3 minutes from the train station, so she would leave home around 7:45 am.

Driving: It would be very hard for me to do this every day — it would mean almost 4 hours of driving per day for the school run.

School bus: It is quite an early start, and I am also worried about her walking to the bus stop in winter when it will still be dark. The road is quiet and there are no shops around, just houses.

Train: The start time is not too early, but she will only be 11 years old. Do you think this is okay? At the open day they said some children do this, but we have never experienced it so I’m not sure. If she uses the train, how long should I accompany her before letting her travel alone?

My daughter worked so hard for this school so trying to find the best option! Please share your ideas!

Thank you!

I would drive her at first. Then let her get the train in the spring. They come on a lot when they start high school. My dd is in year 7 and I wasn’t keen on her getting herself to school at first so we drove her and picked up even though she was very sensible. She’s grown up a ton now and I’m quite happy to let her walk especially with the nights and mornings being lighter.

The driving is not manageable long term.

I think if she is going to get the bus you should drop her off at the stop for the first couple of weeks and also when it starts to get dark earlier.
What are the arrangements for the bus coming back after school? What time does it arrive back at the stop?

I think the train is perfectly fine and the best option. Lots of others will be travelling by train too.
If you are worried about it perhaps she could take the school bus for the first term until she has settled in and got to know people who live on the train route and then send her on the train.

Drive and drop her at the school bus stop, until such time you both feel she’s safe to do the train by herself

Train sounds good. Do it a few times with her in the holidays then on her own from the start of term.

I’d actually try a few tube journeys anyway, short ones. Then let her do it by herself or with a friend. Echoing what pp said, she needs a smartphone to be able to access google maps, TfL, Citymapper and so on. In fact good to get her started with these things now.

At 7.45 the trains won’t be packed!

Quite a lot of school kids get the train. Probably safer than public bus. Just do several practice runs and have back up plans for when the trains are up the creek

Yes they will be packed at that time. I catch the 7.23 or 7.33 or the 7.43 and have a 40 minutes train ride into London for work. Those who get on as far out as me get a seat but after the first few stops there are no more seats available.

My youngest two had to leave house at 7.20 the bus was a 10 min drive in the nearest town. Then a 45min public bus to the town where the school was. Reverse for way home. So I had to be at the bus stop again at 4.40pm. This went on for 9 years. Exhausting all round, but we live rurally so no option really.
It makes for a long day and no one really wanted to do much after school but we did still do clubs.
I hope your daughter likes her new school as someone else has said perhaps your daughter (or you somehow) can find someone for her to travel with.

I think the OPs child will be taking trains IN London, not trains going TO London.

They will be busy, but probably not packed.

Many kids here in London take the train from secondary age.

The trains I got on at that time were packed too. Some stops you could get a seat but sometimes you’d have to stand.

I get a train within London. I'm a teacher and time my journey carefully to minimise children especially ones I teach! The latest I can leave is the 7.13 service and the earliest train back that's not ridiculous is the 4.30pm. So the bulk of the kids are travelling within those times.

Of course she can get ready in time OP! Pack everything the night before and go to bed at a reasonable hour.

Her post says "25 minutes on the overground train"
I travel 40 minutes on the overground train, in London, from zone 5 to zone 1. There are often no seats available from zone 4 onwards.

I am in the same boat. My daughter is also starting a top school and will need to travel on the tube. It's not too far, but we live in central London. A 16-18 min tube journey. I'm hoping we meet someone on the introduction days, travelling from Edgeware Road,/Baker St to Hammersmith. If not, I'll be travelling with her until she is comfortable. My only issue is my son will be in Year 6 by then and can't walk in on his own to school until the last term, theoretically. We did meet a lovely mum and her daughter who live in Regent's Park so fingers crossed. Fingers crossed! I hope you find someone on your welcome/intro day.

If you choose the train then she does it on her own from the beginning!
The school bus seems the most sensible option to me 7.20 for secondary school is really quite late anyway to be leaving the house in my opinion. Every secondary school by me the hours are 8am-4pm with 8am being the time they need to be in seats ready so realistically they need to be on school grounds by 7.45am!

Id do the train. The school bus at that time of the morning is going to make an incredibly long day. Especially when you consider that she’s going to have to come home and carry on working most days. Poor thing will be exhausted.

I had a bus, train, bus to get to my school. 1.5hrs each way. Did it alone with no practice from 11.
She's going to be fine.
Tbh I'd be doing it together twice each way. Gives you a chance to check out the reliability as well. Buses more likely to be late but trains more likely to be cancelled.
And get her a torch

DD does the majority of her homework on the train. Harder on a bus.

My DC1 hated school bus and actually we had better school with better transport links but we picked his current school just for him to use school bus (for safety) but after 1 month he started to use public transport! When they start school and met their friends they decide and we have to follow to be honest because they are doing that journey not us! I remember I asked my som to use school bus ay least in autumn term when the weather is cold and dark but he said to me “non of my friends using the school bus and majority students are girls on the bus” than I had say ok:). So dont make plan! She ll choose her own way, OP ;)

Can't you drive her to the bus stop?

Smartphones have a torch app.

I think the train is best, there'll be loads of other children doing the same so she'll soon find friends to do that walk with at the other end. I have friends who are nervous about getting trains anywhere now in their 30s too, I think if they'd had to do this they'd be much more independent!

DS is Y7. He has what sounds like a similar journey. Walk to station 20minutes on the train and then15 minutes the other end.
We trialled the journey before accepting the place and then did it with him in the transition day. Couple of trial runs, including walk to school from station and back over the holidays.
He then started in the train from day 1, although DH did walk him to the station in the first morning.
One top tip. We discussed with DS what to do if there was a train delay (eg wait, take first train to closer to home, take rail replacement bus). Luckily we did as there was an issue in his first week and he managed to get himself much closer to home for a lift.
He quickly made train friends and walk to station friends.

I think it depends how reliable the train is and how full it is. Personally at that hour I'd rather be snoozing on a reliable school bus than standing on a train. If you dropped her at the bus stop (which in a car must be 3 mins away) she can hop on and relax until she is left right by the door of the school. Walking even then minutes with a massive school bag is a lot.