MTS parents living in St Albans

[stalbansmum]

Any MTS moms liiving in St Albans? How do your sons cope up with the daily commute ? Are Saturday fixtures compulsory ? Please share your experience about the school and anything which will help me decide between MTS and Habs.

[Daogroupie]

MTS is a lovely school but if you live in St Albans it is not the school for you.

What would be the plan to actually get there?

Are you planning to drive your ds there and back every day?

Habs have a coach directly from St Albans.

The journey needs to be very high up on your decision criteria and from St Albans to MTS it will be difficult and needs to be made twice a day, ten times a week for seven years. DG

[stalbansmum]

Thanks for replying. The plan is to take the coach.

[mad?]

Oh that's tricky, I guess it is a question of weighing up the price you put on the travel time and inconvenience coupled with few local friends (and associated travel costs). I would always go for the most local, if it is affordable. We had to may a similar choice between a grammar and indie many moons ago, it was the most expensive decision I have ever had to make and seemed mad in many ways, but for the most part I do not regret it, for me independence and local friends are priceless, but we could (just) afford it.

[Daogroupie]

How long does the coach take? DG

[examprepper]

There is now a coach to MTS from central St Albans. It arrives a couple of mins before my son’s bus to his prep school so I see the boys get on - there are 2-3 most mornings. It leaves about 10-15 mins before the Habs bus so not a lot in it journey-wise.

[stalbansmum]

Thanks DG and Mad.
Pick up by St Albans Town center : 7:25am
Regular Drop off St Albans Town center : 16:55
Late Drop off St Peters Town Center : 18:30

So about 1hr -1hr 15minutes bus ride I woukd say . He was used to about 50 minutes commute to school in Year1 and Year2 abroad (which is a norm there).

[stalbansmum]

Thanks examprepper. So one would say about 45minutes more travel per day for MTS vs Habs.

[branmoment]

Please ignore daogroupie's advice on MTS which is rarely correct. MTS runs a coach from St Albans which is used by many boys and works well

[stalbansmum]

Thanks branmoment,
It is a relief to know that enough kids take the coach from St Albans. Is your DS one of them ?
Thanks a bunch