Secondary school children walking to school

[Carakeel]

Is it right for two young girls, aged 11 and 13, to have to walk an hour, or possibly slightly more, clear across town to school early in the morning - and again home after school? I feel after school, even if they are tired, they can at least take their time. But in the mornings, when time is of the essence, it will put them under a lot of pressure and tire them out before they even reach classes. They are dreading it, but their mum doesn't feel like driving them to school in the mornings, although she could. She also doesn't seem to be interested in them taking a bus. Is this fair on the kids?

[sherrardk]

I don't think it is fair - I wouldn't want to walk for an hour before I started work. Why can't they take the bus if their Mum can't/won't drive them?

[Beanmistriss]

Bet they're not the part of the growing army of fat kids though are they

[Pippa68]

I am in full support of kids walking to school, but an hour is way to long to be walking ~ especially twice a day.

If their mum is too idle to take them herself, she should be looking into them taking the bus. Do they still do bus passes for school kids nowadays?

[TheGopher]

Great in the summer, not so great on dark mornings. A walk before school will actually increase their energy and improve their concentration. Kids arriving in cars are often still drowsy when they get to school.

However, although I personally think an hours walk twice a day is fine for kids of this age and will benefit them in the long run, I think at least they should be able to take the bus on dark mornings or in horrid weather.

[TheGopher]

I would add that their ages played a part in my answer. Eleven and thirteen year olds should be able to manage an hours walk easily.

[fawna]

I used to walk to school for about an hour. Yes, sometimes it was a drag but it was never diffficult. I used to have alot of fun most of the time as I met up with friends along the way. I don't see any reason why kids shouldn't be walking to school as long as they know how to stay safe.

[Carakeel]

Thank you all for your answers. These kids are fit, not fat and do love walks normally. They both work hard and do extremely well at school. I don't think either of them really minds the walk home. It is the walk to school and facing this walk through the winter months that they are not too happy with. They feel that mum has nothing else to do in the morning, so should make the effort to either take them or find out about and pay for buses they can use. I still tend to agree with the kids. As a child I attended a school many miles away from home, but I was able to take the bus. It still took me slightly more than an hour sometimes, but I used that hour to revise or just relax, so I was fine when I reached classes.

[PinkFizz]

Why on earth is their school so far from their house??

Surely there must be one nearer.

[Carakeel]

The children chose the school and were lucky enough to get in to it, as it has a great reputation. It was a great choice. They ahd hoped to find a new house closer, but sadly that was not possible.

[meltoadhall]

we live in a very rural area. My girls get a taxi feeder to the bus stop as its 3 miles away and school is 10 miles away.

i'm sure the guidelines say that secondary children should be able to walk 3 miles, but walking in the dark in winter is not going to be fun. i know i did it in north scotland, there and back in the dark and snow............ oh the memories..

[Carakeel]

thanks metoadhall. I know what you mean about the memories. When it was dark, cold and wet outside, my long walk and bus ride seemed scary and endless too. I think once the girls have become used to the walk, they will be fine, as their Mum has now said that she will drive them when the weather is bad. And as has been said before, they may well meet friends along the way, which will also make things easier. Thank you all for your comments on this.

[harleybobs]

Hi yes 3 miles is correct speak to your local council about free bus passes.

[ganesh]

Over an hours walk does seem quite a bit especially if they have heavy bags and sports kit to carry. I don't see why their Mum can't take them in the morning and they could walk back. If she deliberately chose a good school but its a long way from home she should take some responsibility and help them get there.
Having said that I agree that our generation used to walk to school much more often (my journey was 20mins to station,half hour train,then another 20 mins walk(and back again) . Most kids these days expect to be ferried around more, but if these kids could go to closer school, then it's not fair on them.

[Carakeel]

Well this thread has been on here for over a month now and the girls have both become used to walking to and from school. Most of the time they really enjoy it but there are times when it is a bit of a strain. I must say it is actually doing them good though as they are both a bit fitter and, as they now have friends at their new school, enjoy walking with them and window shopping at the same time. Their Mum will drive them if the weather is really bad, so there is no problem there either.

Thank you all for your responses though. It was interesting to hear other people's views on this.