HSFG or Stroud. travel issues from Bristol

[clarejn]

Hi, my dd has got a confirmed place at Stroud and on a waiting list (167) at HSFG. Is there anyone who has a child travelling from Bristol to Stroud? When I saw the schools I preferred Stroud to HSFG, it just felt a bit more lively in Stroud, with a nice campus. The added benefit of having Marling close by but also studying in a girls school. But am worried about travel issues to Stroud as going by train seems too much to me. Please share your thoughts about either school and especially if anyone travelling from Bristol.

[stroudydad]

I'll be the first to point out that no one has a confirmed place or a waiting list for anything yet, but know what you mean.

[pixiequeen]

Have you considered moving house? Travel links between Stroud and Bristol are very poor (I live in Stroud and work in Bristol). SHS is a great school but it is not worth a daily motorway commute for your DD.

I have had 2 DDs at SHS and they have never heard of anyone travelling up from Bristol. I don't know if Gloucester is more doable on the train - HSFG is an easy walk from the train station.

[Amber]

Is your local school really that bad?

[dr.watson]

Which part of Bristol are you located?

[steppemum]

This question is asked every year and the simple answer is that the transport links from Bristol to Stroud are poor, and the journey is often disrupted. Anyone going by road has to contend with the M5.

dd is in SHS year 8. We live in Swindon and she goes on the train. The train is very straightforward and easy, and much quicker than the bus.
There is one Marling boy on the train who comes from Bristol. He comes from Bristol Parkway, and his timing is something like 7 am train from Bristol, arrive Swindon 7:20, wait 30 minutes in Swindon for the Stroud train, Stroud train 7:50, arrives 8:20, 15 min walk up to school.
Then reverse in the evening (he can also go home via Gloucester.)

That to me is a huge journey to do every day. I would not put my child through it. When he is on a train, my 2 are still in bed!

You need to consider moving, or use a school in Bristol.

[clarejn]

Hi thank you for all your responses. Yes, I understand when its pointed out there are no confirmed places, so rather her rank is within 150, a good chance for her to get there. We are quite close to Bristol parkway station (5 min walk). The daily commute from Bristol to Stroud can become hectic as this is for another 7 years. The local school we have is Patchway community school (not good), then Bradley Stoke Community school (good but will be difficult as we are outside the catchment), st.bede's (good chance as she is currently in a Catholic school), then Thornbury castle school(good, but we are way out of catchment, but they have kids from the area, could vary every year). But I am worried how it will affect her if we decide we are not going to send her to any grammar school after all the trouble she put in because of travel issues. And also do not want to put too much weight on her and say, it's your call, you decide and then don't moan later.

[kenyancowgirl]

Then move....

If you are truly worried about how she will react if you decide not to send her to Grammar School, then move. And, really, why didn't you consider ALL this before you put her in for the test?!

It is a daft journey - most adults wouldn't consider it - and you will be up and down too picking up from after school stuff, parents evenings - move closer or choose local, otherwise you are setting her up to fail from the start.

[steppemum]

I think with regard to chosing a school, that as parents we should always make it very clear that WE have made the decision.
Of course, part of that process is listening to our child and taking their view into consideration, but I think it is not appropriate for us as parents to let the child choose. Even if the child's opinion is in the end the deciding factor for us, we need to say to the child that we have made the decision.

I feel very strongly about this for 2 reasons.
1. should there be problems, or it doesn't work out, or the child is bullied, or unhappy etc, the fatc that they chose this school can be a burden on them, and it can be hard to admit they got it wrong.
2. No 10 year old understands what GCSEs mean and how different education options can affect you. Most 10 year olds are driven in their choice by the fun stuff they did on open evening. While that may be an exageration, it is certainly true that they have no comprehension of the whole picture, and hopefully we do. I remember 2 conversations with ds. The first was that he did not want to go to Marling, as his impression was based on the school hall where we heard the head's talk, it is in the old part of the building, and was, according to ds 'old fashioned like some ancient church' and he wasn't prepared to go to school there. Dh took him to a later open morning, where he was under strict instructions to keep away from the hall and find the science and IT block. Ds ended up having a go on a beautiful drum kit and an amazing conversation with one of the teachers, and came back with a totally different impression.
The other conversation was around why we wanted him to go there and not to the local comp with all his friends. I explained that I wanted him to be able to have as many choices as possible for as long as possible so that he could do whatever he wanted to do, whether it was a drummer in a rock band or a brain surgeon (the first is more likely!). He got that, but couldn't understand why this school would offer him those chances more than the local sink comp. (and ours really is a bad school)

So I think on balance you need to make this decision.

I also think that, for example, if you planned to move at some point int he next year, it wouldn't be so bad doing the journey for a limited time. But 7 years is a long time to travel for 3 hours every day.

[Amber]

+1 Steppemum, really agree with that.

I feel that 10 year olds are not equipped to make these decisions themselves and should not be made to shoulder that responsibility. Most children have strongly held opinions, which is not the same as having well informed ones. They just can't - they are too young.