I wouldn't base any decisions on the traffic at Chis & Sid on the open day, it is always carnage with hundreds of families visiting, but not necessarily representative of how busy it is usually.
If you're near Beckenham, have you looked into train journeys to both schools? If you're near a station on the Hayes Line, DD can get a train to Lewisham and then back out from there to Sidcup or Dartford. Less likely to be impacted by traffic and you can leave the buses for days when there are issues with trains. For Chis & Sid, there are loads of children catching the train from Hither Green, Lee & Mottingham and the school is only 5 minutes from the station.
I also wouldn't underestimate the benefit of a closer school in terms of friends nearby and shorter journey times, although having said that, I'm not really aware of many children at all coming from as far as Beckenham for Chis & Sid, let alone Dartford, so I guess she won't have local friends whichever school you choose unless you're at the Catford end of Beckenham, where you'll be close-ish to kids coming from Hither Green, Grove Park and Lee Green.
|