[Closed] Why don't Private school kids ride to school?

Mostly because they aren't local I would imagine.

Aren't they all boarders? Living in dorms and playing the biscuit game?

I doubt it's specific to private schools.

Chelsea Tractors need to be shown off, that's it.

Mummy & Daddy never learnt to ride bicycles.

I live a few miles down the road from there half the week.

This isn't a typical place. It is Surrey. The land of the black range Rover driven badly by a blonde on the phone

People only ride their bikes at weekends wearing Rapha training for sportives...

Bigger catchments. They'll be coming from 10 of miles away for the good/fashionable ones.

Chelsea Tractors...

There you go, just like I said. Not local.

Chelsea must be 10 miles from Cobham 😆

"If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to"

- Dorothy Parker

Chelsea training into ground is in Cobham.

This isn't an attack on private school kids, I just wondered why I hadn't seen a single one?
I used to love riding to school with my mates.
It used to be a mini adventure every day.
I think they're missing out.

My son goes to private school and 1 child rides his bike to school, the others don't live close enough to, my son included.

I wish I didn't have to take him the 7 miles each way, but if we want him to go to private school then no option.

This isn't an attack on private school kids,

And who could have predicted it would turn out that way 😆

I used to. Mainly in the summer when I was a day boarder as it was still light when school finished (9pm). Winter was no fun due to country lanes, unlit trunk roads and the old Everready D cell lamps (jumpers for goalposts etc).

Once I was 17 and had passed my test I used to drive in and park the car in the village (we weren't allowed to drive to school). Sadly my 1975 850 Mini wasn't a 4x4, in spite of regular efforts to go off-roading 😀

My mother does drive a Range Rover now. But then she is 72 years old....

My two boys know a kid who races with them and boards, he is not allowed to train outside of the school gates, so he has to do all of his training on rollers/turbo (he hates it!).

Kids tend to live further away, no such thing really as a catchment area for a private school. My kids went to schools as close as 10 mins drive or as much as 40. 10 min drive school was on big busy roads I wouldn't have wanted them to cycle on anyway. We knew a few kids who walked to the school as they lived close enough.

A decent number of private school mums work, often in order to pay the school fees.

I used to ride my bike to (state) school fwiw

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There's a few teenagers where I work. they all get lifts in/out from parents, despite living less than a mile away! All are state school educated. As a responsible adult setting a good example, I skid in sideways now and then 🙂

I used to go to the private school next to the Chelsea training ground (it was something else then), I cycled.

Because they don't have parking for horses....

Wouldn't worry. Corbyn wants to rid Britain of private schools. He'll ban Chelsea Tractors and resurrect British Leyland (nationalised) and everyone will be driving Austins. No one will be allowed to go to anywhere but their catchment area school and as the entire country will be on strike with the immense power of unions, there will be no fuel so everyone will be walking or riding to school.

If he can force kids to ride bikes or skateboards also instead of girly scooters, then we'll be in proper 70s.

Oh and kids will be glowing from eating their Ready Brek.

There are plenty who ride in to Jnr's school (private). Lots get the bus and lots get dropped off. However, as mentioned above lots of Jnr's mates live a fair trek from school and cycling isn't necassarily safe or easy.

Jnr ocassionally rides, but he stays for revision sessions most nights and living as far away as we do it wasn't something we fancied him doing when the nights were dark.

deadkenny - Member
Wouldn't worry. Corbyn wants to rid Britain of private schools. He'll ban Chelsea Tractors and resurrect British Leyland (nationalised) and everyone will be driving Austins. No one will be allowed to go to anywhere but their catchment area school and as the entire country will be on strike with the immense power of unions, there will be no fuel so everyone will be walking or riding to school.

Seems to be the case with all schools, not just the private ones.

Some schools have safe access and facilities, some don't.

Haha what do you do in Cobham? I work there too (for an insurance company) and it's a pretty small place.

I'm disappointed in general at the amount of car traffic schools generate. Even as a cyclist - where you're relatively immune to traffic - my commute to work is significantly better during term holidays.

I think it's probably a South East thing for a few reasons. Busier, hence more traffic and reasons to avoid the roads. Parents have more money, hence are able to be selective in choice of schools which may not be just around the corner.

[quote=alpin ]Because they don't have parking for horses....

Our school's a state school, but in the countryside. One of the mums occasionally did the school run by horse when my kids first went there (her kids are older and have now moved on).

Oh and while we are at it, when I am driving my son to school in our posh BMW, some peasants are waiting at the bus stop to send their kids to the local comp less than half a mile away 🙄

choppersquad - Member
I've been working in Cobham for a month and a half now, and it struck me the other day, that I have honestly not once seen a child riding a bike to school.

They can even drive an 18 wheeler or Chieftain tank to drop the children off I am still fine with that ... 😛

Kids tend to live further away, no such thing really as a catchment area for a [s]private[/s] school.

I live in the South East, in Kent.

Pretty average village, not particularly "posh".

None of the immediate local schools are private and I never have seen any children riding to school.

The traffic is pretty horrendous for what should be a quiet rural location, the roads the schools are on are terrible for cycling and I avoid them on the bike.

However, the worse time is probably the school run, busy traffic with crazy parking by dozens of cars. Despite the majority of the catchment area being within walking distance.

Broader catchment area and an increasing fear of cycling on roads - traffic density [u]is[/u] heavier and people drive more aggressively.

That said, my son is at a prep school; several of the local children do cycle or are cycling with parents on a trailer bike.

Unless I've missed them - there are no cycle paths in Cobham. I know of three private schools in Cobham and if my boy went to them he wouldn't be cycling (busy roads).

We're a couple of miles from Cobham in Leatherhead and loads of kids cycle (my boy does every day) but there are good cycle paths and it's safe.

Also I ride with Rapha wearing weekend warrior road cyclists too. Cobham just has crap traffic/roads.

Not just a Private school thing. the roads around schools in all the towns and villages near me are littered with SUV's and 4x4's dropping their kids off. For some reason parents do that these days. I used to walk to school on my own when at primary school, but these days I guess parents perceive that kids are at more risk these days.

I think it's jsut a signs of modern society.

I have this feeling that if someone can't SEE where they want to go (i.e line of sight) then they feel they have to drive there.

My son goes to a state school, with a fair shair of lower socioeceonimic families (not a dig - I came from a very poor background) and in reality, the poorer people DO live nearer the school, and don't have access to numerous cars, so do scoot and walk moreso it seems.

I think it's lovely getting kids to use their legs to move around - should be encouraged.

DrP

My mate (who got me into cycling), lives in a nice Oxfordshire village, private school on the edge of the village. We went to pick his kid up from school - in the car - took us 2 mins. "Why doesn't he ride or walk?" I ask. Shrugs, no one does. They love to battle with the Chelsea tractors for parking. The kids have bikes AT the school. They cycle around the grounds... but they all get lifts in! Nothing to do with catchment area, it's just what they do.

tonyg2003 - Member

We're a couple of miles from Cobham in Leatherhead and loads of kids cycle (my boy does every day) but there are good cycle paths and it's safe.

I'm nearby - do some kids use that newish cycle path between Leatherhead and Ashtead? Useless for adults IMO - do any of them use it?

My son went to a private school, there was no facilities to lock up bikes and no one cycled in. I lived in Netherlands for a while and I guess around 95% of kids cycled in, but easy to do when it's flat and they have great cycle paths.

Live right by a state school, all the nearby residential roads get clogged up by parents parking to pick up kids so its not school dependant.

I went to a private school, loads of us rode to school, then spent our lunch breaks practising trials on discarded pallets out the back, were even taken mountain biking a few times as an option in P.E. lessons. Doubt H&S would allow that these days.

@mudshark Yes the cycle path between Ashtead and leatherhead is used by children cycling to school. I'd agree that for us road mamils its not very good and the road next to it is pretty wide (not trying to reopen any - should be use cycle path arguments).

We had great cycle paths when I was a kid. Pavements. We always cycled on pavements - roads are dangerous places with all the cars, buses and lorries. I used to cycle all over the place via pavements as a kid, But these days it's frowned upon to cycle on pavements, even kids. It seems every group of people seem to be fighting to claim their own space and ban anyone else from encroaching on 'their' space. I guess as population density increases people are going to get more and more intolerant.

My kids walk to school accompanied by their mum or the 'before school club' when she's at work, but I certainly wouldn't want my kids to be cycling on roads - not a cat in hells chance.

"were even taken mountain biking a few times as an option in P.E. lessons. Doubt H&S would allow that these days"

A friend runs a cycle coaching/guiding company in Ashtead (surrey) and takes the local private school kids out on mountain bikes for PE lessons.

[quote=wobbliscott ]I guess parents perceive that kids are at more risk these days.

Well they're right, they are - from all the 4x4s and SUVs

Mummy & Daddy never learnt to ride bicycles.

My wife and I can both ride bikes, and our son doesn't call us mummy and daddy. Our son's school was 20 miles from home, not really practical for him to ride.

I went to private school, and cycled the ~5 miles each way every day from age 12 to 17. All year round. Even after I got a car, because I didn't want to waste money on petrol when I could cycle to school and have more money for bike bits ! A lot of kids used to cycle to school back then.

Would I want my own kids to do that same journey now ? Hmm. Not sure. I'd definitely worry.

wobbliscott -
We had great cycle paths when I was a kid. Pavements. We always cycled on pavements - roads are dangerous places with all the cars, buses and lorries. I used to cycle all over the place via pavements as a kid, But these days it's frowned upon to cycle on pavements, even kids.

[url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/argh-blood-boiling ]Tell me about it![/url]

Eldest son got the piss ripped when he cycled to school some 16yrs ago, got nicknamed bikeboy 🙁 - school was state grammar but might as well have been private the way it was run (fencing lessons and no competitive football) round here quite a few kids cycle to school but then there is a good shared path by the main road

Not just a Private school thing. the roads around schools in all the towns and villages near me are littered with SUV's and 4x4's dropping their kids off. For some reason parents do that these days.

I remember the complaints about all the cars fighting for parking spaces when I went to school (bog standard local state school), and that was the 1980s. I think it's changed less than we like to imagine.

Anyway, I cycled to school with my five year old today. She absolutely loves it, as do I.

At the private school I went to there were bike sheds, and they were fairly secure. It was quite far for a kid to ride though (I'm sure I could've done it with a bit of pushing, I did occasionally - probably would've done it more often if I'd stayed on into later years but parents ran out of money). I generally got a lift from my parents - that said the car access was great, to the degree that all cars would enter the car park to drop kids off, no clogging up local side roads.

We did have a great teacher that took us on MTB rides after school and on Saturday mornings, now sadly deceased.

The state school I went to was far closer, so I generally walked and occasionally cycled if I was off out on a ride with mates after school - but the bike sheds felt a lot less safe and were easier to access from outside the school.

From personal experience its mainly distance to school. Daughters school is 30 minutes drive away so its not practical. Most of her classmates live at least as far in scattered directions. The school puts on free buses which are well used though.

Also the school day is often longer so getting home quicker to start the large amounts of homework they have is attractive. Finally, a lot of their non-academic activities are based at school too so they have large amounts of sports kit/ music stuff as well as their books to port in and out - my daughter can hardly carry it onto the bus herself half the time let alone cycle anywhere.

plus it rains a lot in England!

There are lots of people who could cycle to work who don't!

When I got sent to private school the school didn't allow cycling in (a problem easily resolved by parking up around the corner). Just one of the many, many reasons I hated the place. Pointless rules made up by arseholes.

As much as I hate the traffic generated by all of the kids being dropped off by car, I don't blame anyone for not encouraging their child to cycle; I have ridden thousands of miles on the road and probably experienced dangerous driving that impacted my journey around one every ten miles ridden. Totally understandable that parents would not want an inexperienced child to have to deal with that.

I find riding on the roads scary these days; I'd rather have my 12 year-old son ride down a trail-centre black run on a shitty hardtail than have him ride to school.

[i]I remember the complaints about all the cars fighting for parking spaces when I went to school (bog standard local state school), and that was the 1980s[/i]

Maybe not the 80s... Its definitely changed since the 70s. I don't think any kids in my school got lifts. (About as far removed from a private school as is possible though! 🙂 )

And when I was at school, again far removed from a private one, 70's/80's I don't remember anyone cycling to school.

Me neither - I used to cycle everywhere else, but never to school.

"were even taken mountain biking a few times as an option in P.E. lessons. Doubt H&S would allow that these days"

(State) school I went to had a cycling team for many years, mainly TT, but also dabbled with road and track. Such things, of course, need an interested teacher, but it wasn't that isolated, there was a schools national champs.

One of the local primary schools has banned cycles from the premises, despite being next to a disused rail line/cycle path, meaning that children who cycle to school now need to chain bikes up wherever they can nearby (not allowed to chain them to the school fence).

And when I was at school, again far removed from a private one, 70's/80's I don't remember anyone cycling to school.

I cycled to my primary school but I only lived less than 0.5 mile. 5 minute walk, 2 min cycle. Time saving.

As above, used to cycle everywhere after school.

I'd love my boys to be able to bike to school and they are always asking if they can. Not letting them cycle up Pebble Hill (surrey boys will know it) though as I'm not even keen to cycle up that road myself to be fair. Not due its gradient but speed and quantity of cars and lorries.
I used to bike to secondary school but in those days there were by comparison hardly any cars around.

People give their kids a lift to school because it's too dangerous to cycle with all those cars on the road giving kids lifts to school.

[quote=ceepers ]plus it rains a lot in England!

No it doesn't. Not really. Sure it's been dry recently, but I don't think this year has been particularly unusual as a whole and I can only think of a handful of occasions when it's been wet going to school.

ceepers » plus it rains a lot in England!

No it doesn't.

was going to say similar, it really doesn't rain that much, I commute by bike every day, have done for years, on average I think I get a proper soaking less than 10 times a year, and mild drizzle isn't an issue if you have a coat.

Maybe it's worse up North 😉

On topic... I used to cycle to (secondary) School and 6th form (in the 90's), originally taking the bus but it was annoying and slow so from about 13 onwards I used the bike, ~5miles each way and I probably did 90% of it on the pavements until I was about 16/17 then used the roads more.

Sorry, forgot the smiley wink for that line!

Another issue, that I don't think has been mentioned, is the need to carry bags of books backwards and forwards.
My three are always loaded down with loads of files, books, etc. for homework. Add PE kit into the mix and biking to school becomes fairly difficult/almost impossible.

Sorry, forgot the smiley wink for that line!

gotcha 😉

Surprising how many times I've heard that as a [i]genuine [/i]excuse from people though, it's hard to tell you're joking when so many others aren't 😥

Another issue, that I don't think has been mentioned, is the need to carry bags of books backwards and forwards.
My three are always loaded down with loads of files, books, etc. for homework. Add PE kit into the mix and biking to school becomes fairly difficult/almost impossible.

Isn't that just another excuse though? All pupils have the same book/kit requirements, some of them [b]do [/b]walk/use public transport, so if you can walk with it in a backpack you can cycle with it in a backpack?
Is it any different to how it's been in years gone by where people somehow managed to get to school and back with their books and PE kit without using a car?

Or are you seriously suggesting that it's now [i]necessary [/i]to travel to school by car due to the overwhelming weight of books?*

* Which if anything might be diminishing in the modern digital world of online resources...

loaded down with loads of files, books, etc. for homework. Add PE kit into the mix and biking to school becomes fairly difficult/almost impossible.

Yes, agreed; even at Primary level it's a logistic mission to get all the right kit on the right day to the right place.

Yes, agreed; even at Primary level it's a logistic mission to get all the right kit on the right day to the right place.

This is why I fitted a pannier rack to mini Ransos's Islabike.

I occasionally ride in with my kids to their state school, haven't seen anyone else on bikes, do get a fair few walking in but loooooooads being driven (as are ours if mrs is on way to work or weather is bad - or if she's feeling lazy in which case I'll have a moan about it)

People give their kids a lift to school because it's too dangerous to cycle with all those cars on the road giving kids lifts to school.

*for me as a parent, loads of cars whizzing by at or over the 30 limit only protected by a kerb, plus side roads and a few drive entrances to negotiate. Kids seem blissfully ignorant of it all

[i]loaded down with loads of files, books, etc. for homework. Add PE kit into the mix and biking to school becomes fairly difficult/almost impossible.[/i]

My kid manages ok - sometimes I pack his bag, trainers, PE kit, water bottle (for some reason won't carry in a bottle cage), books, lock for his bike. Can't believe he never moans. Moans about everything else... (dunno where he gets that from).

[i]books, etc. for homework.[/i] Most homework is done online these days.

Isn't that just another excuse though? All pupils have the same book/kit requirements, some of them do walk/use public transport, so if you can walk with it in a backpack you can cycle with it in a backpack?

Most kids at my sons school had 2 bags most days, one with a pile of books, folders, etc and the other with games kit.

Some days the kit they take is hard to walk with let alone cycle. My daughter (who catches a bus incidentally eco warriors! ;-)) on some days has a regular school rucksack which is FULL of books, a sports bag with a couple of Kits and pairs of trainers, a tennis racket, a flute and a music bag.

Private schools are often different in that lthe kids often do lots of non-academic activities at before/ after school rather than in local clubs etc so the kit for this stuff needs to be taken in and out on the school run.

The main reason though (rain or shine ;-)) is still the distance, expecting her to ride 26 miles a day with 2500 feet of climbing is a bit harsh for a twelve year old!

Isn't that just another excuse though?

so if you can walk with it in a backpack you can cycle with it in a backpack?

Most homework is done online these days.

a flute and a music bag.

Oh yeh I forgot about the guitar lesson days

Near where I grew up in Dulwich were several private schools.
Alleyn's and James Allen's Girls School almost next door to each other. Dulwich Colleg (other side of the village)
Dulwich Hamlet (the primary school) right in the centre of the village
Dulwich Hamlet Prep (infant school)

And then just off past North Dulwich was William Penn (now called Charter School).

Most of the kids at William Penn were from Peckham so they just got the train in to North Dulwich.

What's been fascinating though is seeing the shift in transport types. 4x4's were the big thing for quite a few years, Volvo XC90's usually with ascattering of Audi Q7s and Porche Cayennes.
Dulwich Village would be rammed solid with huge cars trying to get past gaps that didn't exist.
Suddenly there was a noticeable shift to Smart Cars, Toyota Prius, Nissan Leaf etc as the 4x4 backlash began and they became unfashionable.

Now it's shifted again and there's actually a significant number of mothers using cargo bikes, tandems, tag-alongs etc for the younger kids and loads more older kids riding.
Still a lot of cars though...

[i]A sweeping statement there [/i]

I thank you.

What's been fascinating though is seeing the shift in transport types

I agree the 4x4 Chelsea Wagon is so last year.

The BMW M2/M4 is quite the rage at my sons school at the minute, a couple of Bentleys, and a lovely Merc AMG GT Coupe.

Isn't that just another excuse though?

Er, no.

So, theoretically speaking, if you had no car, how would you manage to transport the stuff?

so if you can walk with it in a backpack you can cycle with it in a backpack?

Is that a question or a statement? I think many would agree that cycling with a loaded backpack is harder/more dangerous than walking with the same load.

A bit of both, see above. My point being that if you have $STUFF to carry and it [i]can [/i]be done on foot then it can be done on a bike*, in a backpack if suitable, or panniers if not. If the amount of $STUFF actually [i]requires** [/i]a car then that's a different situation entirely

*A sweeping statement 😉 obviously there are edge cases where you might have a full backpack AND be lugging a cello around, but [i]in general[/i], what can be carried in a backpack while walking/using the bus can be easily carried on a bike.

I have the same discussion with people regularly about using a bike for transport and utility/errands, "Oh but I couldn't [i]cycle[/i], how would I carry my $STUFF...", er the same way people who walk do, in fact it's easier with a bike as it can carry the weight for you 😀

** I (and many of my school friends) managed to get to and from school without a car, as do many thousands of children every day, so my question really is what's changed? Is it the actual physical parameters of the problem (ie: amount and size of $STUFF) or is it the attitude that's changed?

We're very lucky to have a Post Office, cake shop, three mini market type places and an Aldi all within access on park roads and mixed use paths.

In fact, we can get into the centre of town entirely traffic free only crossing one road.

It's a no brainer really, specially with two of you as one can stay with the bikes.

I work in Cobham and commute once a week (all I can manage, as other days I need to take miniAnt to childcare).

In terms of the Chelsea end school I can see why there aren’t many cycling in. Have seen some sketchy overtake manoeuvres on adult cyclists, let alone kids. They could cycle along the path, dodging pedestrians heading toward the station, but would still need to cross the busy road to get in the school gates. I don’t often come in that way because people are too much in a hurry to get past and squeeze through where there isn’t space...

There’s an international school at the other end of town as well, and I often see kids on bikes heading there or back again. I think it’s the difference in road – Fairmile lane is wide, open and has a cycle-able path (though not a cycle path). Every day if I’m sat in traffic I’ll see a couple of bikes go past.
Or could it be the children are international and have more of a cycling heritage?

[i]I (and many of my school friends) managed to get to and from school without a car[/i]

All we needed was our ripped up exercise book, pencil, packet of Johnnys.