worried about my son travelling from upminster to southend

[swot]

I have registered my son to take the 11+ this november and will be applying for SHSB. I am just worried about if he did gain a place would it be too much travelling from Upminster. Does anyone know of any boys who have made that journey and were fine with it. It just seems so daunting for my current Yr6 son and would it be the right choice seeing as we have a very good state school as our local choice. Any advice would be welcomed as we need to make our decision by the end of next week.

[moved]

Will you be driving him, or will he travel by bus/train? This may help people inform you better.

Regarding general travelling I think that it depends on the child. My son didn't mind it too much, he had a journey of an hour each way. My daughter disliked it and was very relieved when we moved.

[swot]

Thanks for your response. Of course it makes sense that it all depends on the child. I think my son would handle the journey but also worry if he would be reluctant to then do his homework once home due to being too tired. How did your son get on?
We would be expecting him to take the train which will be at least an hour journey. We travelled on the train to the open evening and realised that it was a fair walk so would also like to find out if he could get a bus from the station to school.

[katel]

My dd's journey to school takes an hour (ish) door to door - and that is as long (longer actually) as I would suggest is OK. It cuts into the evening, particularly in winter,a nd whith homework, music practice and after school activities she barely has a moment to call her own during the week. And her social life gets very complicated and involves a lot of "mum-taxi". And it only takes a broken down bus and the whole week is messed up. I woudn't do it again - actually, I'm not, my second child will go to a nearer school. Sorry if that's not what you want to hear!

Word changed by mod for politer version - sorry.

[moved]

Have you considered KEGS, the school is very near Chelmsford station.

My son enjoyed the train, for part of the journey he chatted to friends and for the rest he read his book, did some homework or played on his DS. He found the travel time to be down time when no one could interfere with what he did!

My daughter, who would hate her work to be messy, read her book or talked to the other girl on the train. She disliked the fact that she could have been doing homework or music (strange child that she is).

[swot]

Thanks to everyone for your advice, I appreciate the honesty.
I had actually ruled out KEGS as I'm aware it would take a much higher score and it is that bit further on the train. I did actually imagine that the train journey itself would be some time for my son to chill or, like you say, do homework.
It's such a hard decision and I'm sure I'll be back on here tomorrow once I've had another night to think of all the pros and cons.
This is the first time I've ever been on a forum and am pleased so far with all your responses. I'll try and read some past conversations and get some further insight. Night night for now.

[moved]

Welcome to the forum, the Essex section is particularly friendly, post often and ask yourself "what do you have to lose by entering". You can always change your mind later.

[Moonlight]

My DS recently started at CRGS and spends approximately two hours on the bus each day. There is a lot of travelling involved but DS really enjoys his time on the bus (it's a chance to relax and chat with his friends). When he gets home he is then ready to start his homework. After school activities usually finish by about 5pm as teachers are aware that a lot of their pupils have a fair distance to travel home. My DS loves his new school and even though the day is long, it's worth it .

[Blessed]

My son (Now in year 11) did the same journey from Upminster to Westcliff when he was in year 7. I was very worried that he wouldn't be able to cope as he had only just turned 11 then. However, these children are more resilient than we think they are. He settled into the routine very well and never once complained about the journey. Children are different but mine coped very well. When he got to year 9, there was a coach and I put him on the coach because of the long walk from Chalkwell to the station. However, he loved the train journey because he saw it as time spent interacting with his friends on the train. But because the journey to Upminster from my house was a bit too far, I eventually put him on the coach. Many children do the journey and are quite okay with it. You could go to Upminster station during the week between 7:15am and 7:30am and you'll see some Westcliff and Southend children catching the train. My son also takes part in after school activities and has never let the journey deter him. It is really a matter of different strokes for different folks. Some would like it and some would hate it. It is not all a story of doom. You know your child and you can assess what is best for you child but the distance hasn't been a problem for me.

[swot]

Thanks moved. That's an interesting perspective (what do you have to lose). You see this is another hard factor - the fact you have to decide almost a year before your child would even be attending. What if we did change our mind for whatever reason? Can we get a place at our local school easily enough once the places have all been allocated. I'm not sure how the process works with the acceptance and rejection of places etc. and timeframes. Perhaps I'm just thinking about it too much! In my heart I would love my son to gain a place at grammar school and feel he should have the chance to sit the exam.
Thanks moonlight for your encouraging words.
Thanks Blessed. I like the idea of checking out the station one morning.
Speak soon no doubt.
All the best.