Milton Keynes to qe Boys travelling

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Teju
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Joined: Sat Sep 07, 2019 11:10 pm

Milton Keynes to qe Boys travelling

Post by Teju »

Hi, I want to know if anyone is doing milton Keynes to qe boys travelling on a daily basis? I want to know if it is doable please.
ToadMum
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Location: Essex

Re: Milton Keynes to qe Boys travelling

Post by ToadMum »

Teju wrote:Hi, I want to know if anyone is doing milton Keynes to qe boys travelling on a daily basis? I want to know if it is doable please.
Welcome :) .

This is a journey of 45 / 50 miles each way, on some of the busiest roads in the United Kingdom at the times of day that your DS would need to be travelling. What on earth could there be about any school that is worth inflicting that on him?

Have you considered moving to Barnet and doing the commuting yourself?

I would suggest taking a week or two off work and doing the journey every day at school start / finish times (I'm assuming that you wouldn't be expecting your DS to take an interest in any after school clubs, so no need to stay past 3.30 or whenever lessons finish), perhaps spending the time in between researching new topics in various academic subjects an setting yourself the task of remembering key facts at the end of the week, to mimic the concentration levels that your DS would need to maintain.

Sorry, but that is frankly a ridiculous daily commute for a school aged student.
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loobylou
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Re: Milton Keynes to qe Boys travelling

Post by loobylou »

I would think / hope your answer is no, there won't be anyone doing this commute daily.
Assuming you're using public transport it means catching the 6.42 every day (there will be travel time to the station too) to Euston then up the Northern Line to High Barnet then a bus from High Barnet to the school to be there by 8.30.
That's a lot of traveling every day.
If you were going to go by car that's at least an hour and a quarter on one of the most miserable motorways in England (subjective view as someone who takes my ds to sports tournaments a couple of times a month up and down the M1) - seriously there are often accidents and it's not reliable.
So I imagine you'd have to assume 90 minutes every day - which parent can allow 3 hours (or 6 of you were thinking of doing the round trips) to do this every school day? It's an average of £73 on uber one way.
Remember it's not just about normal school days either. What if your child is sick and needs collecting? What if he needs braces (our orthodontist only works term time)?
And - although I don't think this should be the main consideration - what about when it comes to GCSEs and A levels? If your ds is late on a normal day due to traffic then that's just tough. On external exam days he can't sit the exam. I know that's outside of everyone's control but a rail incident the week before GCSEs made everyone at my dd's school suddenly very aware they needed a Plan B should that happen on an exam day. You can't have a Plan B.
It's honestly not possible.
Daogroupie
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Re: Milton Keynes to qe Boys travelling

Post by Daogroupie »

Can you explain why you would want to do this when you live in Buckinghamshire with lots of great schools?

Every year in June QE boys holds exams to fill the spaces created by the boys who have dropped out in Y7 because they simply cannot manage the insane travel that has been inflicted it on them by their parents.

QE boys is a school in a London borough that Milton Keynes is nowhere near.

As it is non catchment you can apply and if your ds is offered a place on 1st March of the year you apply then you can move. DG
ToadMum
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Re: Milton Keynes to qe Boys travelling

Post by ToadMum »

To be fair, DG (I am trying, here, OP, honest :)), although MK may be geographically situated within Bucks, administratively it is not the same LEA and I believe only from some parts of it would one have a feline in Hades' chance of getting a Bucks grammar school place? Even less chance of a Bucks upper school (and are they seriously better than any of the comprehensive schools in MK?).
Last edited by ToadMum on Sun Sep 08, 2019 11:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
Tinkers
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Location: Reading

Re: Milton Keynes to qe Boys travelling

Post by Tinkers »

Teju wrote:Hi, I want to know if anyone is doing milton Keynes to qe boys travelling on a daily basis? I want to know if it is doable please.
Looking at Apple maps for public transport, it’s looking like almost 2 hours in each direction.

Driving looks to be at least an hour on a good day (ie now on a Sunday, when I’m looking) so would be longer at peak times.

In short, no, it’s not doable. Please don’t inflict this journey on a child. I wouldn’t do it as an adult.
Stokers
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Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2012 9:48 pm

Re: Milton Keynes to qe Boys travelling

Post by Stokers »

As a parent with a boy in Yr8, I can also advise you that after school clubs are not optional in some cases. If your child is asked to try out/participate in a sports team or choir, etc, it's pretty much compulsory. I know this isn't to everyone's taste but I really like it. However, this will mean regular after school and weekend commitments.
Blue_Marigold
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Re: Milton Keynes to qe Boys travelling

Post by Blue_Marigold »

Even if it technically possible, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. What if they are sick and you need to get them from school? Would you be able to get to them quickly?

My main concern would be safety. I just don’t think it is safe for young children to be travelling alone long distances like that. My DD1 had a talk at school from the police about county lines. The old stranger danger talk just isn’t enough anymore.
Deb70
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Re: Milton Keynes to qe Boys travelling

Post by Deb70 »

You will lose any educational advantages of the school, because your child will be too tired to learn properly and will end up resenting you and hating school.
WillowFae
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Re: Milton Keynes to qe Boys travelling

Post by WillowFae »

ToadMum wrote:To be fair, DG (I am trying, here, OP, honest :)), although MK may be geographically situated within Bucks, administratively it is not the same LEA and I believe only from some parts of it would one have a feline in Hades' chance of getting a Bucks grammar school place? Even less chance of a Bucks upper school (and are they seriously better than any of the comprehensive schools in MK?).
Yes, over the last couple of years the distance they have gone into MK has shrunk dramatically. Pretty much need to live in the south or west of Bletchley to stand much of a chance these days.
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