Commute to Colchester County High School from Bury St Edmunds

[Hoppy356]

My daughter has sat the 11+ exam and has a score high enough to be worth applying to Colchester County High School for Girls (out of priority area).

Can any current parents at the school tell me if they feel it's worth an hour commute? Even better, does anyone know if there is a parent organised bus leaving from Bury St Edmunds? Thanks!

I don’t know the school, but it is more than 40 miles from where you live. That’s not something I would consider at all. And will it really take an hour? At 8.30am? My commute is about 25 miles and takes about an hour, even tho much of it is on a fast moving dual carriageway.

I think you’d be better to move closer to Colchester. The A14 is pretty gnarly - she could get stuck in a lot of traffic jams. The country route might be better but there’s lots of twisty lanes etc which I wouldn’t want to navigate every day. There are trains but they are few and far between, with changes and take over an hour.

Your timing sounds very optimistic. Also the problem at the moment with parent organised bus services is that a number of bus/coach operators are actively moving away from school run contracts because the cost of diesel and other factors mean that unless buses are full, they can be a loss maker. Also if your child wants to participate in extra curricular activities after school you need to find an alternative way to get them home.