11 Plus Exams Forum

Hello - any advice from any parents in a similar position . We are hopeful that our daughter will secure an OOC place at TGS. Does anyone have daughters travelling from the Bromley area to Tonbridge either via Orpington or Bromley South? Are they happy at TGS? Many thanks.

Hi Nkib,
We are in a similar situation. Although our journey is slightly easier (10 min walk to Orpington station), we decided to send DD to Newstead Wood mainly to avoid the commute. Although it appears that we have a straight forward journey, Travel time quickly adds up. 10min walk + 5 min waiting time + 20 min train + 15 min walk to school = nearly an hour! Also, girls will have other issues to deal with as they grow - periods Bleeding, discomfort, pain etc is hard enough for young girls without commuting for 2hrs everyday. And the added stress of train delays, cancellations, bad weather etc.

You mentioned in your other post that your parents live near Tonbridge. With her entire set up (books, uniforms etc) at your house in Bromley, your parents home can only become an emergency back up unless she can live there during weekdays.

Have you explored the option of a private coach? I know private coaches go from Bromley to Skinners School. There must be coaches going to TGS too. This is a more comfortable option even though the journey time might still be the same.

Good luck with whatever you ultimately choose

Hi,

There are many girls going to TGS from Orpington so the journey to and from Tonbridge is quite social and a good way to make friends. The trains are fairly frequent and as it is a counter-commute there are usually enough seats for comfortable travel. The frequency of the trains makes it easy to manage extra-curricular activities before and after school. This would be more difficult if your DD was dependent on a private coach.

The girls quickly get used to the walk up and down the hill (especially via the short cut) and find it no problem. A quick burst of exercise before school is likely to be beneficial. Since buses do not go up the hill the girls will get this exercise regardless of how they arrive at the school.

DD tells me that those DC she knows who have tried both bus and train prefer the latter.

HTH
PS

We live in Bromley and put it down -all our options involved some travel though. I asked a few I vaguely know with girls travelling there from Bromley and they seem very happy with the school etc.

Travelling anywhere is not ideal but I did the journey on a school day and saw plenty from Bromley/Orpington stations and a few Weald of Kent kids too which I wasn't expecting. It's also pretty quick by car in an emergency -took longer to get to Townley strangely! Lots bus it to the Bexley schools which can take a similar amount of time. It does cost more though, of course.

We decided to go for it because she loved it and it's looking like the best fit for her (but may not get it!). It's hard to imagine secondary school and them travelling but they'll be nearly a year older then too! Good luck with things.