Travel to School

[baba15]

Hello,

My daughter will be travelling to Beaconsfield High School from Harrow. I would really appreciate if someone could share some information about kids travelling from Harrow to Beaconsfield.

[Booklady]

Quick Google shows about 1.5 hours each way and a complex journey!
Did you not think about this before sitting the exam. Can you move? .

Maybe someone who is doing it will come along

[Guest55]

+1

It's not a journey I would want to do, let alone an 11 year old.

I'd advise moving nearer the school.

[PurpleDuck]

Some selective schools have done a sensible thing and introduced catchment areas - probably because they don' want their students to fall asleep during lessons after a long commute. Why can't other schools do the same? At least more parents would think about the logistics of getting their DCs to school on a daily basis.

[Guest55]

There is a catchment area but you can't stop people applying ...

[PurpleDuck]

That's true. What I had in mind, though, is a catchment area that does effectively prevent people from obtaining a place, even thought they can apply. For example, Tiffin Boys' has a catchment defined as an area within a 14km radius from the school. They don't prevent people from applying, but make it very clear in their admissions policy that 'in catchment' children will get a place ahead of everyone else, regardless of the score, and that it is extremely unlikely for anyone outside of the area to be offered a place.

[Guest55]

Bucks has a county-wide system so unfortunately that wouldn't work.

In North Bucks a 14km radius would eliminate 'sensible' journeys as it is far more rural.

[PurpleDuck]

That 14km radius was just an example I know of, I'm not suggesting the exact same solution would work elsewhere... It's still a shame that there isn't a system in place that would make parents think about the journeys involved before applying for school places.

[Guest55]

Everyone in Bucks [or catchment areas just outside the actual border] agrees - how many threads do we see each year like this one?!

[PurpleDuck]

Indeed...