11 Plus Exams Forum

Anyone have their DC travel from Cirencester to Gloucester GS. DD is likely to go to either HSFG or Ribston. I'm aware of the bus service with a stop only a few hundred metres from our house - so no probs there. My slight concern is potentially picking up by car from after school activities and in particular traffic through Birdlip roundabout. My DD is very sporty and interested in lots of other activities as well. I'm also aware that there may be several after school events for parents to attend.

The buses are fine and a great opportunity to build good friendships on the positive side, but there is no way round it, the drive to collect from school is a nightmare in the afternoons because of Birdlip. You may find a carshare option for a particular after-school club, but when it's your turn it's still a big commitment. If sport is a really important consideration then there will be some compromises. If your child just wants to take part in sports then you may find lunchtimes are enough (STRS run enough to keep our son really happy every day) but if you want to be in teams then you need to consider evenings and possibly Saturdays. Setting expectations about what we could commit to after school was part of helping our child make a decision - as was thinking through how this decision might impact other siblings. Parents' evenings and other events are relatively infrequent and anyway marginally later so roads are usually quieter.

My daughter has just started in year 7 at Ribston. So far this term I have had to go in for meeting about Croft Farm residential, a meeting with her form tutor and to take her and collect her from Speech Day. We are the other side of Gloucester so can't comment on the Birdlip traffic, but I know we were nearly caught in the rush hour traffic one evening and made it by the skin of our teeth.