We are in MK at the moment, my DS will start Y7 at AGS this Sep. We have been renting up until now, so probably is a good time to buy.

We are now torn between two options:
- continue living in MK and buy property here (near to bus/coach routes), not sure how DS will cope with the travel every day. The travel time from bucks buses or mason's coaches from where we live is around 55 mins
- move to Aylesbury, to cut down on the travel time for him. We have seen a few properties in Berryfields and the area/houses seem good to us.

However, we are not sure if there is any paid for school transport from Berryfields. We don't want DS to take travel in the local buses on his own - atleast for the first couple of years (Y7/Y8). Also, traveline shows that local buses will take 33 mins from Berryfields to AGS, this is not much of a time saving as compared to travel times from MK.

I can drop him to school in the morning on my way to work, but don't want to leave him on his own while coming back from school.

Any suggestions or information will be valuable.

Not everyone likes Berryfields .... no shops nearby and lots of parking issues. There has been [or is currently] consultation on double yellow lines so check that. From there it might be quicker to walk than find a bus!
I'd look at properties on the other side of town as crossing Aylesbury between 8am and 8.45am is a nightmare. If you want a bus there is a 'normal' service into town which might be better.

Thanks! Yes, I am aware that crossing Aylesbury between 8 and 9 am isn't easy.
Also, it appears that there is no regular paid for transport from Berryfields which I can arrange for my DS.

Yes, the parking is a bit tight in Berryfields, the house we have seen has allocated parking.
Also, I am told that the Sainsburys store in Berryfields will be opening within the next 6 months.

It appears to me that we are going to struggle with paid for transport from Berryfields, unless there is a private taxi service which parents group together to hire on a regular basis.

Also, I am bit concerened about sending a 12 years on 'normal' buses.

Looks like I have to now think about staying in MK and arranging paid for transport from here.

Allocated parking or not everyone seems to park on the roads!

The public buses will be used by other students too. There are plenty of nicer parts of Aylesbury [or just outside] to live; what did you like about Berryfields?

Seriously, most year 7s who catch public buses (and trains) manage perfectly well. Does your DS have specific problems which make him less able to cope than others, or do you just not use public transport much with him and so it seems an alien concept? You've got another three months to get him 'secondary ready' .

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I would move to Aylesbury rather than stay in MK if it is commutable for work and you don't have other children's schooling to consider. It means your son can play a full part in school life and so can you as a parent. Lots can't and don't.

I echo the advice already given that there are alternatives to Berryfields but generally the south side of the town is more expensive, being closer to London on the train. I think the Parkway station (on the edge of Berryfields) is still only served half as frequently as Aylesbury's main station which makes it less attractive for commuters. I also agree that a public bus is absolutely normal for an 11 year old unless there are specific circumstances but you won't be able to access funded travel because AGS isn't the closest school you could have chosen. One option to simplify the travel and perhaps reduce waiting for connections is to catch a bus from Berryfields to Aylesbury bus station and walk from there. Lots of AGS and AHS children do that walk every day and a brisk walker will do it in 15 minutes. He might appreciate doing that rather than being dropped off by you and you'll come to appreciate not having to negotiate Walton Road/Turnfurlong at school times. It is absolute bedlam and a daily road rage cauldron.

Berryfields is not that bad. There are lots of children I see waiting for buses in AGS and AHS uniform. The buses are really regular. The downside is the buses don’t take you all the way to the school. Once you’re in town, you have to walk the rest of the way on your own. But lots of kids do it.

Whilst it is hard for a parent to hear, most 12 year olds are delighted to get away from them, be it a school bus or, as you put it "normal" public transport. It is, well....normal...and to be advised! The sooner they learn to travel independently, the more confident they become with dealing with the odd occasion where the bus is late, or they miss the bus, and know they can wait for the the next one, or ring the school just to let them know they will be late. For every parent like you who is worried, there will be many more who are quite happy to pop their child on a bus on day one, a bus they may very well have not been on, because they trust that, along with the other kids on teh bus, they will get there. It's amazing bow older students just know to look out for younger students on those early days - one might imagine that they remember back to their early days...! And, there is a long time till September - you can do the journey together for a day or so over the holidays - and even pop them on the bus and follow in the car to make sure they get off at the right stop etc, as practise, so by the time you get to Septemeber they are actually old hands at the journey. Far better that, and them being able to fully immerse themselves in school life than living in another town and having to whip out at the end of the school day...

Unless, of course, as Toadmum identifies, your child has some sort of special need that means they are unable to navigate transport on their own...?

I would echo what all the above posters have said about public transport.
I have friends whose children walk to school (which has many advantages I accept) but one thing they envy my children is their confidence and ability to negotiate public transport without stressing. I think, where parents rarely use it, public transport can look like a big hurdle but it really doesn't need to be.
I just spent the weekend with friends whose child gets a school bus. Unfortunately my friend had to go to a funeral a couple of weeks ago and was unable to pick her child up from his normal club. Because he'd never needed to use a "public bus" before (even though it does the same route ) he was not confident enough to stay for the club and had to come home on the school bus. Imo, it's much better to get them used to getting around themselves.

Perhaps I'm just weird (although obviously not that weird, going by other posts), but although DH and I both drive, our DC have also been brought up to use public transport. If nothing else, on the principle of 'use it, or lose it'. Not very likely with our local trains, but very much a concern with buses, even in an urban area.

Plus, using public transport confidently and efficiently is an important life skill, in my book.

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Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx