Transport to Pates from Ross/ Ledbury/ Staunton areas?

[morrisdancingmummy]

Hi there all!
After attending a very impressive Pates open day last night I have spent some time investigating ways of getting my DD1 to Pates should she manage to pull off the almost impossible(??) task of getting a qualifying score in 3 weeks time!
Disappointingly it seems that transport from the West/ Forest/ Malverns end of the county to Pates is almost impossible..... It seems a real shame as there is plenty of availability from the 'Other side' of Cheltenham.

Does anyone have any clever ideas/ interested in a tentative car share??

Dropping off before going to work would not be an insurmountable problem (if DD2 did not have to be dropped off at Primary / breakfast club before I can go to work....) with a few tweeks to my working day

Evenings much more ticky though.

Denmark Road DOES give us the option of bus from Ledbury Dymock area.

Any other parents with helpful ideas about how to get to Pates would be appreciated.

[cairo]

Just replying so you did not think no-one was bothered to reply! I'm not in your area but I do know someone from Ledbury whose children go to Pates. They don't go on a bus - she car shares with others from the area. So not impossible, but not the easiest journey either.

Hopefully someone else with better information than me will be along soon.

[capers123]

I've heard really good things about the comp in Newent - fabby music department.

[mum23*]

Is there a train link from Ledbury to Cheltenham? That might be an option, although you still have either ends of that journey to sort out. Another would be to see if there would be enough children to warrant sorting out a mini bus between interested parents although I think that can work out expensive perhaps. Saying that, the school bus fees are quite high, for the Colefordian anyway. The other possible option is drop to Gloucester for a bus to Pates from there, but that would be not much better I suppose.

If driving to school and picking up is not an option, think carefully as in my experience the long distance "commute" can be very tiring and can put paid to outside of school clubs. Plus the public service bus can prove a bit daunting for a year 7 especially if they are not "worldly wise". If you would be likely to try for Pates for both children and employment allows then you could consider a possible move in the future to somewhere more convenient. Sounds drastic but moving for work or schools is quite a usual reason to move house isn't it? DD1 did Ross to Gloucester for GS for several years, mainly public bus and we have now moved as it was just too long, too early in the morning etc We are finding it lots better for all the family.

The Gloucester G schools are very good and might win on convenience for you, much as Pates might seem tempting.

Good luck

[morrisdancingmummy]

Many thanks to everyone for their replies....
I have come to the conclusion, after MANY hours on the net that using solely public transport to get from outside Ledbury to Cheltenham is IMPOSSIBLE if DD1 wants to get to school before 9.30!

The car remains an option, as does the Pates bus from Tewkesbury (only 15-20 mins from home)

I wish I'd known about Gloucestershire Grammars before moving to where we live now.... sadly a new job is not really an option as I run my own business! And I can't do it from home/ the car!

I am resigned to leaving it in the lap of the gods now and the great 11+ marking computer. If she gets in at Pates then we WILL manage something.

Being an 'up for it' kind of girl I may even organise our own minibus for anyone else out in the sticks on the 'wrong' side of the county.

Good luck everyone. Only 2 1/2 weeks left now! Thank god we're only doing VR and not english/ maths / NVR as well.

Many thanks for your advice.