Feels like lots of girls passed!

[Happy dad]

Adams Grammar arrange a bus service and very good it is too. They contract with local coach companies -we use the Hills Coach from Wolves - and then have contracts with the individual parents. The cost is £940 per annum which given they do 380 x 20 miles journeys isn't bad. They don't have tracking (which doesn't work ) nor wifi but they do have have fairly direct routes - Wolves at 0750 and in Newport 40 minutes later.

[anxiously hopeful]

Does everyone who requests a seat on the bus get it, or is there a waiting list, happy dad? Thanks.

[Happy dad]

It is apparently oversubscribed. However once you have secured a seat you do get first option for the following year - the key is to be allocated a seat in Year7.

[anxiously hopeful]

Thanks for the info, happy dad! Ds will have to get accepted first

[rayyburn]

Hello There

I'm new to this forum and I'm hoping that dd will get into QM. I have a niece who goes to WGHS on the Walsall coach and most of the time she is shattered from the travelling. The bus picks up girls from Walsall and goes all the way to the other side of Wolverhampton making her travel time nearly 2 hours in the evening. I would think carefully about the distance and travelling.

[Bob1892]

Parents should look at travelling times for their dc as it can become VERY tiring. I know someone from North Birmingham whose ds travels to chb. Gets up just before 6am for the bus just before 7. Then easily over 1 hour travelling. Gets home just after 5.30pm. That's a **** of a long day for a 10 year old. The lad is absolutely shattered by the end of the day - and then he has to spend over an hour doing his homework!
I think the parents are regretting it now and realised Aston would have been a better bet.

[pinkhousemom]

I've managed to get a telephone number for the coach company that travels from Walsall to WGHS. The guy will call me later today to inform me of pick up points, etc. Hopefully travel time won't be too long and the cost reasonable, otherwise WGHS won't be on the list of preferences.

[Happy dad]

Travel time is the one thing that causes me sleepless nights. Ds1 leaves the house for KEFW at 6:50 and will normally not be back home until 17:10 - and that is an improvement on last year

Ds2 Leaves at 07:25 for Adams and is normally back by 17:00. Still a long day compared to walking to primary which meant leaving the house at 08:35 and being back home by 15:25. And they both have homework. Sunday has pretty much become a homework day as it is unrealistic to expect them to do much after getting home in the evening.

Children sre sctually pretty resilient, And neither of them moan about the early starts and journey times but I know it must be tiring even if spending time with friends and playing on their iPhones or iPads. I know how much I like commuting

However, living where we do there is no alternative - excepting the £12,000 per annum boys grammar. Parents of girls don't know how lucky they are to have a free girls grammar school in the city (WGHS)

If I had my time again I would definitely put much more emphasis on time spent travelling. BV would certainly have greater weight given the transport links, and also Aston -although I didn't actually like the school.

And don't assume that because there is a Green Bus running now that will always be so - we did use the FW 8 - it was pulled after half a term last October.

[onebigdilemma]

Looking at schools and transport is becoming a logistical nightmare. Moving to a village this year was probably not my greatest decision (although love the house and area!!). Bus routes to schools seem to miss us out and it looks like I am going to have to drive away from the school to drop my son off for the school bus to drive him back again towards the school.

How can you put a school as first choice if they cannot guarantee you a place on the bus??

All seems such a risk/gamble.

[rayyburn]

Pinkhousemum

Be careful, if your dd can get into QM then try for it first. My sister had a whole year's worth of worry last year with the WGHS travelling. The bus/coach is never guaranteed. Last year after the 1st week the bus company( current one!) decided to stop the bus and the girls had to take a taxi for the rest of the year which cost a lot of money. At the moment her daughter does not get into the house until 5.30 and does not have time to rest as the homework is full on every night. If a child is tired all the time she will not perform well.