11 Plus Exams Forum

DS has secured a score that should get him in to Judd. We liked the school very much.
Would it be crazy to send a child 23 miles away ? By train it will involve a change at Orpington and will be approximately 50 min door to door in total.

Are any of the DCs travelling this route to Judd. ? Are they able to manage the journey and still have time to do the Hw. Are most of the clubs after school ?

We were in the same position 2 years ago (we are in Bromley) and decided on Dartford GS in the end. Judd did seem do-able by train and I think lots of boys travel by train from Orpington. It did seem like a long way away though. You have to consider other things like Saturday rugby, after school clubs, parent evenings, concerts etc. Also, where will DS's friends be? My DS's friends are pretty far flung and they tend to meet up at some central point but it does require a bit of planning. Good luck in your decision.

23 miles away, is that each way??? Personally I think that's nuts, but that's just my opinion. When will your child get down-time (which regardless of what some parents think they all need). he'll end up spending all day either travelling or at school and then each evening doing homework and then exhausted. That's like holding down a full-time job and they have their adult life for that ... they're children for such a short time, let them have a childhood. Education continues outside of the classroom. If it's the school you want, I suggest you consider moving otherwise find a (much) more local school. I don't think children should travel anymore than 20/30 mins to get to school.

amfnc wrote:23 miles away, is that each way??? Personally I think that's nuts, but that's just my opinion. When will your child get down-time (which regardless of what some parents think they all need). he'll end up spending all day either travelling or at school and then each evening doing homework and then exhausted. That's like holding down a full-time job and they have their adult life for that ... they're children for such a short time, let them have a childhood. Education continues outside of the classroom. If it's the school you want, I suggest you consider moving otherwise find a (much) more local school. I don't think children should travel anymore than 20/30 mins to get to school.

I don't agree - the train journey is downtime. The kids love it. It is a part of their social life, they chat to their friends or they can do homework. I used to do it as a kid quite a similar distance and it really isn't a problem.

Though it is 23 miles by car and takes 40 min to drive, by train it is 13 min first train then a 5 min wait then 14 min in the second train from Orpington and then 7 min walk. so around 38 min in total . I met several boys who are travelling from Essex to Judd. Sorry I am not justifying but asking for your opinion really and trying to find others if any on this route.
Local comprehensive options would not suit our DC unfortunatey.

I think that assumes a lot about trains and timings! You need to get there early to ensure you catch the train etc so the 38 mins is not door to door.

In winter there would be delays and waiting on a station is dire when it is cold.

I would move or find a more local GS.

Devotedmummy wrote:Though it is 23 miles by car and takes 40 min to drive, by train it is 13 min first train then a 5 min wait then 14 min in the second train from Orpington and then 7 min walk. so around 38 min in total . I met several boys who are travelling from Essex to Judd. Sorry I am not justifying but asking for your opinion really and trying to find others if any on this route.
Local comprehensive options would not suit our DC unfortunatey.

Sounds like you have already made the decision and if it's the right school for your DS I'd say go for it. He may find it tiring to begin with but will soon get used to it.
We are contemplating a similar journey for our DD to Tonbridge Grammar and she is really excited about the train journey!

by downtime, I mean the child doing something THEY want to do, their choice, on their terms ... not a journey they have to do and no choice over. They're two very different things.

They'll be after school clubs, very bad weather to consider ... You've asked for opinions, I've given mine ... it goes without saying that we all want the best for our children, but if that's the school you want, personally I think you should consider moving closer. its easy for a person's judgement to be clouded by "the best school", and find ways of getting their child there, but ultimately it's the child that has to do the journey day in day out ... I wouldn't have wanted to do it and my son doesn't want to either. he has a score that would secure him a place at at SS but we're going for a more local grammar instead (10 min bus ride). I figure that if he's happy, he'll do well. Life's hard for children these days, we don't need to make it any harder for them than we have to.

I'm entitled to my opinion ...

My daughter's school is 19 miles by car. Being superselective, it has a large catchment area and many girls travel further. She loves going by train and can often get homework done if she wants.

I would say, check the exact timetables, as time leaving the house and time returning is more relevant than actual journey time. My daughter leave's at 7.15 and returns at 4.45.

The point about friends is very true and many of hers are all over so one-to-one home visits tend to be more sleepover than day visit or they meet up somewhere. Now she's older she meets up by train.

With her school, they don't have any after school clubs, except sports matches, etc, because of the distance girls travel to the school. Might be worth checking if Judd is the same.

Remember, they're only little Year 7's for a short while. If you did get in and found the travel too much there is always the option of relocating closer in the future perhaps?

Have you looked at the closer superselective's too?
Dartford I think is closer...