How far would you travel to drive your kids to kindy, prep and primary school?

At the moment the schools we are considering sending Jazz to (a few independent non-religious schools, and a couple are considered 'alternative') are 45, 55, 60, and 80kms away.

Or the local Montessori school, which Shel isn't sure about, but I have no issue with.

The 'number one' school on our list is the 60km away.

Probably do have to point out that I have no problem with public education. I just have no faith in the public schools in this area unfortunately. The whole area is questionable, and we don't plan on staying in this area for that very reason.

So. How far would you travel? At this stage we are HOPING that we'll move closer to this school, and that I'll also be able to find a job in the area, or even at the school eventaully (since it's a college with a early learning/childcare centre and theoretically the 'school' goes from 6 weeks to 18 years) which would be wonderful.

BUT if we stay where we are... would you, or do you, travel that far each day? Is it too much on a little kid?

Hmm logically its too far i think...but in my heart I would drive fro an hor to get my kids to the best school I could...DH wouldnt let me plus if we have more kids and they hate the car like DS2 I couldnt put them through that.

Its a tough descion hun and know what you mean...when we move to Kilcoy i think there is one school...not much of a choice :(

I'd just move, and start planning it now! Is there a waiting list?

It's not just Jazz, it's the effect of those extra miles...everyday on the whole family that can add up. I used to travel 30 mins each day for the best school in the world and I started to feel it after the second term.

Not only that but kids love to play at each others houses after school (if possible), and I bet there is a big community focus that might be harder to commit to timewise in the long run.

So just move :rofl:

:yeahthat:
waht schools are you looking at...are they in my direction lol

i used to travel around 30-45 min for my son for pre-school i lived in glenorie past dural in sydney and used to take him down to pendle hill -greystanes to go to school 3 days aweek only cus he loved it there but i got sick of the hour n abit drive there an dback i felt my whole day was wasted driving back n forward.. but he was happy and content

Is there a bus service that would take her to and from school? It will be a huge slog for you, especially if both of you plan on working once she's at school - so that is something to factor in as well - how would you be able to work the travel time in around work. We have to drive 42km one way once a week for preschool but once they turn 4 I can put them on the school bus (dedicated school bus) We haven't been able to justify more than 1 day a week at preschool because of the travel costs it would involve.

LOL yeah, we will probably move up that way once we decide. We're in Caboolture, and looking at a Sunshine Coast school. Caloundra is our number one, which has a wait list and preferential selectioning, probably assuming you attend they're early childhood centre. I'm hoping for a job transfer to a closer kindergarten when one is available. No school bus in our area, at this stage, but there is one in more local areas.

Ugh it's so hard hey. I always said I'd never be one of THOSE parents who put their kid on a list for a school but ... lol here I am.

I wouldn't drive more than about five mins. Now, we live within walking distance and from a lifestyle and peace of mind perspective you can't beat it! I also love it that DD has a little friend right across the road that is going to be starting school with her, not to mention the half a dozen kids from her preschool (also just around the corner) that are within walking distance or a short drive. I love our morning walks and knowing that if I need to get to work her preschool is right around the corner from home.

Also, we got a phone call from our neighbour on the weekend saying her girls were playing schools and would DD like to go over and join them? Reminded me of my childhood, when my best friend lived a few doors down and we went to school together every day. *awwwww* Sorry, going all sentimental on you!

I should add, we live in an area where we are spoilt for choice with good public schools and (very expensive) private schools. Which is not the case for everyone.

I wouldnt drive more then 15-20 mins to get to school. IMO 60 kms is just waaaayy to far for a littlie, especially on a daily basis. And what happens when another bubs comes along and you have to take them on the school run too? There is nothing worse then a crying tetchy baby and a long car ride.

For convenience sakes, I just wouldnt. There are some days where I may be at the school a couple of times a day. Eg tomorrow DS (who is in kindy) has a mini sports "event" at 1.30. So I need to drop him and DD at school between 8.35-8.45 and then come back again in time for 1.30. Last week I had parent help which started after lunch so was a similar story, was only gone from school a few hours before had to turn around and go back again.

And what happens if the child is sick and you need to get there in a hurry? 60 kms is a long drive when there is a child in the sick bay waiting for their mummy. I hate to give you the worst case scenarios but that is the type of thing you need to think of. :hide:

Quite often in kindy, and Pre-primary (well over here in WA) the kids do half days for the first few weeks to ease them into it...it would make for a very long day for you and your DD to be driving to school for them only to stay a couple of hours and turn around again.

Sorry to be in the negative here.

I'm with Lulu.

I only travel 10 mins to work and we live in the country so I wouldn't ask my child to travel longer than that to school. For me, school is important but lots of other stuff is just as important in childhood and having time in the morning to get ready without getting up really early and also to play or relax before dinner in the afternoons is vital imo. Also, when Jazz gets a bit older she might want to do after school activities so you'll be torn as to whether she does them out of your area or travels back home first and then does later classes/sports etc.

When I was going into high school my parents considered a selective private school that was WAY out of our area. There were a few reasons they chose not to send me there but a big part of it was the travel time there and back. I am so grateful to them. I know high school is different in lots of ways but in terms of the impact of travelling, I think it would be easier for a teen than a primary school child. Just my humble opinion.

Dont you have to be in that schooling zone as well? or live close to it :dunno:

We have a public school 2 mins walk, vertially across the road from us but my boys go to the catholic school the other side of town. I dont care that the other school is closer and handy ect, im more interested that my children are going to get a decent education and their need's are meet KWIM.

Im a bit like Maz. We have a public p-12 school and a catholic school both in < 10 mins walk from the house, but Ive enrolled DS at an independant school thats a 20min drive (but he will be on the school's bus service) becuase I think its the best fit for him.

Independent schools have no zoning intake issues.


We travelled over an hour to school everyday, and had my parents been able to afford it, I would have gone to primary school at the same private school too I think.
All our primary schools though, bar one, were within walking distance, which we did daily from the time I started school til I went to high school, without a parent. lol

The school we plan to send Charlotte to is in Romsey, about 30 mins north of Sunbury, so a good hour at least from where we would most likely be living to begin with. And I don't see an issue with it.
We can always move, but her education is much more important. And finding a school that works for us, that will work for her, that we adore, and she will too - that is worth the commute.

Good luck!

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I wouldnt drive more then 15-20 mins to get to school. IMO 60 kms is just waaaayy to far for a littlie, especially on a daily basis. And what happens when another bubs comes along and you have to take them on the school run too? There is nothing worse then a crying tetchy baby and a long car ride.

For convenience sakes, I just wouldnt. There are some days where I may be at the school a couple of times a day. Eg tomorrow DS (who is in kindy) has a mini sports "event" at 1.30. So I need to drop him and DD at school between 8.35-8.45 and then come back again in time for 1.30. Last week I had parent help which started after lunch so was a similar story, was only gone from school a few hours before had to turn around and go back again.

And what happens if the child is sick and you need to get there in a hurry? 60 kms is a long drive when there is a child in the sick bay waiting for their mummy. I hate to give you the worst case scenarios but that is the type of thing you need to think of. :hide:

Quite often in kindy, and Pre-primary (well over here in WA) the kids do half days for the first few weeks to ease them into it...it would make for a very long day for you and your DD to be driving to school for them only to stay a couple of hours and turn around again.

Sorry to be in the negative here.

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I don't think you are being negative at all, it's very relevant.

I had the same experience, initially I didn't mind the drive at all as it was certainly worth the school ds was going to.

But it is the extras like you mentioned - the half days, the event days etc. I felt like I was in the car all day and poor DD wasn't too impressed.
It's a bit harder to make play dates when you live so far from the rest of the community too.

The school is worth it for sure, but the commuting (not just the idea of it) is a real negative.

So is it a private school in Caloundra? Just cos the public high school there isn't the best - having been there myself!! LOL

What about Narangba Valley Primary School? My sister sends her kids there (and she lives in Bellmere) and she is VERY happy with that school. So that might be another option? I think it takes her 20 minutes to drive her oldest to school and back every day. Since we are most likely moving into that area, we would be sending Aricyn to that school too.

I'm with Mel, don't choose Caloundra high! I didn't go there, but remember what the reputation was like.
As for your question, 60km is too far for me as well. Furtherest I would go would be 15-20km, MAX.

Personally, I wouldn't travel more than 10 or 15 mins to get to a school for my kids. There are so many after school activities, and friendships, that she will want to participate in that will be much harder if you are further away. Also as a PP has mentioned, having to rush to pick her up if she is sick is that much harder when you are a long way away.

In your shoes I would move house if I couldn't find a suitable school nearby.

I am currently considering this also. Were I live we have 1 local school which is a 10 min drive away. So each day drive back & forth I am doing a total of 30kms anyway. Problem is we are beginning to have doubts in the school (well I have for a while & DH is finally catching on to my concerns also). Our main problem is the closest schools are not taking out of area kids (no room) & "closest" is a 30 min drive one way. So we would probably need to go further down the hill to get them in somewhere better. We would move happily back down the hill but finding a place that will have us (7 all up) is the hard bit.
So I might have to suck up the travel & just deal with it. But I really am unsure that our kids will stay at the local school.

Haha my closest option really is about 60kms away (120km round trip). Anything else is 100kms(200km round trip).
Thankfully, there will be a country bus service that my kids can use from the age of 4 (designated school bus).

I wouldn't even drive five minutes.

I think they deserve a better future than the polluted air that driving to school, or just any of the excessive driving we do as a society gives them. That's more important to me than any other kind of education.

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I wouldn't even drive five minutes.

I think they deserve a better future than the polluted air that driving to school, or just any of the excessive driving we do as a society gives them. That's more important to me than any other kind of education.

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Are you serious?

It's not Caloundra High ;)

Thanks everyone, and Mel, will have a look at Narangba Valley. It's a public school? Are there any school catchment issues from Bellmere?

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It's not Caloundra High ;)

Thanks everyone, and Mel, will have a look at Narangba Valley. It's a public school? Are there any school catchment issues from Bellmere?

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I'm glad its not Caloundra High ;)

And yup, its a public school. I don't think there is catchment issues otherwise my sister wouldn't be able to send hers there (would she? I don't know anything about catchment areas... when I hear that phrase I think of dams.. LOL)

LOL dams!

I'm havibg a read of the website and it does say that there is a catchment area. There are *some* places available for out of catchment areas, but theres something on the Prep section which makes me think I wouldn't be able to.

Hmm. I'll ask my sister for you if you like?

Alex may already have been enrolled in there before she moved to Bellmere - maybe that makes a difference?

Yeah it would make a difference, if they were in the catchment area he would be able to stay.

Is it a REALLY good school? I'd move into the catchment area if it was awesome. There's a real lack of awesome primary schools!

Well my sister is a cop and she's fairly picky and hard to please.. so I would say it must be cos I haven't heard her complain about it.. LOL

But I can ask her again for you just to make sure :)

LOL I have heard about it before, that it is quite good, but forgot about it lol

They have a new 'Enrolment Management' thing. So out-of-catchment is available, it's just at the bottom of the pile. Guess I'll need to give them a ring. Wonder if they'll laugh at me for wanting to go on a waiting list for 2014 LOL!

doubt it. some places you need to be enrolled the day after conception.

Choosing a school is hard!

I was told by a school admin lady that in Qld, public schools don't have waiting lists. You just have to wait until they open for enrolments for the year you need. Dunno if that is true or not for all public schools in Qld, but it is the case up here.

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I was told by a school admin lady that in Qld, public schools don't have waiting lists. You just have to wait until they open for enrolments for the year you need. Dunno if that is true or not for all public schools in Qld, but it is the case up here.

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It's true for our school. They open enrolments for prep in term 3 of the year before, so they have just opened up prep enrolments for next year. When DS turned 4 I rang about enrolling him and was told to wait until they started enrolments in August/September. They don't do waiting lists. Public schools are not allowed to refuse enrolment, but if there is a catchment in place they are pretty strict about it - usually the first question asked is where you live. Our school doesn't have a catchment so it wasn't a problem.

If DD attending a certain school is very important to you and you don't like the area where you live, then I would seriously consider moving. I know easier said than done though! We would like to move to Narangba but can't afford it. If we bought a house there our mortgage would almost double. But we do like where we live now and the school is good.

Sorry to hijack this thread but I noticed a great deal of you are from North brisbane. Can you see the thread I am about to start? Thanks