11 Plus Exams Forum

Anyone offer advice? Getting near time when we will have to transition

Practice journey with her, then drop her at one end and pick her up directly from the other (on and off the bus say, or train), both directions, then do one way without you, then both.

It's a scary thing, allowing your child it of your sight to make their own way to school.

Our DS goes to KEFW and is lucky enough to be able to catch the green bus, so this took a lot of the worry out of it for us. (5 min drive to bus stop, then originally 45 bus ride, which this year is now only 35 mins)

He was also lucky enough to have cousins on his bus who watched out for him on the induction day and when he first started.

However, if there were no green bus we would have had a real quandary. We get 3 buses a week where we live, so the only other option would have been a 10 minute walk to train station, get off in Birmingham, walk from Moor Street Station to the appropriate bus stop.

The green bus may be expensive, but we have no worries about it at all. I would recommend this option if a route goes by you. You can check their route finder on their website by putting in your postcode. http://Www.thegreenbus.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If DC are going to using public transport, then get them used to using it before hand. We did several practise runs over the summer, but it's the bus route we use to go into town anyway, so it was already familiar, just an earlier stop. She learnt how to use her pass to pay, how to get the bus to stop etc.
We also looked at the various routes to school from the bus stop and 'what if' she forgot to get off at the right stop. Also where to cross roads safely.

A couple of years on DD is now confident on the local buses, to the extent she managed to navigate herself across town to a friends house and back, which required a change of bus onto a route she doesn't know and an area she isn't familiar with.

If they are using school buses, you have less to worry about.

They soon adapt. Parents less so

Get her used to using public transport. If you normally drive everywhere, it will be an education for both / all of you . Try to try out the actual home to school journey on a 'working' school day - we sent DD off on her first lone trip on a day when her primary school had an inset day but the secondary didn't. Towards 'the day', set her off on her own (if you are nervous, do it as a pair - one of you wave her off and the other wait at the destination, or at a bus stop / railway station somewhere along the route).

TBH, I worry more about our offspring leaving various items of kit on public transport (real low point was DD putting her phone down on the seat next to her as she put something back in her bag - then getting off the train without picking it up), rather than the using of transport itself. Yes, there are some very odd people around and of course one has to be aware of one's surroundings, but most people are just trying to get from A to B and certainly do not present a threat to our DC.

Crossed posts

No green bus to wolves, but useful - they seem to go every where, so bus pass and drop by the 11 stop if lucky on the 16th.

WGHS told us there was a Birmingham parent group which we could go on if we express an interest (so there may be buses from Birmingham, but parent organised rather than school).

Incidentally I felt a very clear "nudge" when they tried to dissuade me from expressing an interest in WGHS, as when I asked a question about the 297 minimum cut off, they got thinking that my DD had scored 297.

Hopefully whichever transport option you choose there will be other children travelling to the same school. I was not keen on either of my boys getting the public bus on their own so only looked at options with a school bus. They were not happy to travel alone and I wasn't happy about it especially in the dark winter nights.

I've been dropping off and picking up DS from Solihull to BV every day - I don't think I can do it for much longer, the drive is too tiring and it takes out such a big chunk out of my day. So, DS is going to have to start getting on the train, at least for the journey back home. I think, we as parents are more worried about it than the kids! I see lots of happy faces waiting for buses / making their way from the train and certainly for me, coming back from school with my mates used to be one of the highlights of the day! We used to spend our bus fare in Braggs (the old name for Greggs) and walk home!
So taking advice from other posters, I think I'll accompany him on a couple of test runs and then let him get on with it. The school has also been supportive in that they will put him in touch with other lads making the journey so they can "buddy up".

Just agreeing with what onebigdilemma says - the likelihood is that there will be someone else on bus/ train travelling to school as well or 'regulars' - that nice lady who takes the bus at the same time, etc...

I'm afraid my little fish (now Year goes to nearby comprehensive (currently on here during younger sister's [small fry] attempt this year....so it's just a short walk and she can race home to get that work/ notebook she's forgotten.

anyway some pearls of wisdom I have received recently when discussing what to do about small fry travelling by bus (if she gets in - which is a big if probably)....

One of my friend's advised her DD (travelling on 2 buses to KEFW) to sit near the driver if she felt worried. She did this at first, but after a while realised there was a gaggle of them getting on the same buses and just joined their group (i.e. went up to one of the nicer kids and asked if it would be alright to sit with them - which it was). Since then, she's really never been on her own travelling to school.

I do agree that losing things on the bus seems a universal problem for some kids. But the solution (although harsh) my friend employs (with great success) is to forgive it the once but have them pay for replacement (or forgo something) the next time. Tends to concentrate minds.

Hope that helps

not sure why typing the number eight turned out as - probably the parenthesis - sorry about that.