Earliest travel time....

[Defra]

Hi all,

Just want some advice to give me some perspective. What's the earliest time you would find acceptable to leave your house for your dc to attend a good grammar school?

If we go for our top choice (cchs) it would mean do leaving the house 7.20am and arriving home about 5pm. If we accept our nearest grammar school which is nowhere near as good she would leave at 7.50am.

Any opinions welcomed.

[mikedellfarm]

For the last year and a half I have left the house at 7.30am with my two DSs - one was in Y3, now Y4, the other Y5, now Y6. They are not at Grammars but we moved them to a much better school by choice. The earliest they arrive home is 4.35pm but this can be a little later. Their alarm clocks go between 6.05am and 6.15am every morning.

They both have homework and DS1 has been doing extra 11+ work. Its never been a problem. They can't have too late a night and I am careful about that during the week. I make sure I am on the ball with their evening meal, clothes and bags for school etc.

Its not ever been a problem - they currently go to a school they both love and soon DS1 will be at CRGS .. but we are going to have to move for that .. or he'll need to leave in August to be there for the first day

[KB]

I think the 7.20 till 5pm day is not unusual for those travelling to GS.
At one time we were living only about 5 miles from the GS and this was pretty much a standard day because the buses were so slow and then the walk to and from bus stop- many children travelled into Colchester schools from there.

Most of those doing the journey home of this length see it as a 'social' experience and have had there chill out time by the time they get home.

Worth sending snack for they way home though

[2Girlsmum]

We are in North London, and dd1 leaves at 7.30am (returning at about 5pm) and her school is also about 5 miles away in Barnet.. Some of her friends have longer journeys than her, including those at non-selective schools.

[Araucana girl]

I personally would be worried if my dd was coming home regularly at 5pm and above on a normal day without clubs but this is personal.

I think you should try and do the journey with your dc, see what they think when they actually do it. I had this issue with SHSG - dd would have to get a train, then wait for a bus and then have a bus journey. It would probably mean 45mins to an hour journey if I dropped her to the station. If it was a straight bus journey I wouldn't mind but I just see her in the depths of winter doing it and...... well there you go. It has meant that in the end (although I still have time to change ) I am putting CCHS, WHSG, local good comp that we are ooc for, followed by SHSG, then local in catchment comp
We are lucky though that we have two good local comps to consider.

Good luck with your decision, it is a struggle - I am still thinking on and off if I have made the right selections!

[sleeplessinhalstead]

It probably is a personal thing, but I think the 7.30 to 5pm timeline is fairly common for children at GS. Our nearest GS requires us to leave the house at 7.20 latest to drive 3 miles to the bus stop. Bus gets back at 4.50, home around 5pm. The children can be a bit tired in the first term but they soon get used to it.

If I were to pick any other GS, our travel time could be approaching 2 hours each wa

However today I had a day off work and did not set my usual alarm, neither did anyone else... so we all work up around 7.40. I had a very fast drive to Colchs, we just made registration and no more. This sort of situation is something to consider, as is sickness, you may need to go to school to collect your child if they are sick during school hours.

[Minesatea]

Unless you have very organised children there can be many reasons to have to go to the school during the day. In the last year I have had to retrieve children for dental appointments, deliver PE kits, rescue a clarinet and a phone from the bus office and most recently drop off a kiwi fruit that was a still life subject for art, that I found rolling around our driveway after she had gone!
I always say I will never bail them out again but somehow get pleaded into it!

[mikedellfarm]

Loving the kiwi fruit.. it was hardly still life if it was rolling around the driveway ! The things we do as parents.... !!

[moved]

It will entirely depend on your child. DS didn't mind travelling at all, but DD hated it.

[Morgan0210]

Hi there,
For my daughter I feel leaving at 7.20 and return at 5pm would be too much but everyone's different you know your child and your family routine so guess only you can decide. Lots of children are leaving early and returning home late to go to good schools! I brought my house walking distance from grammer school and good local comp as felt long journeys were not for us! Have you considered moving nearer in the future if journey becomes too much?