I hate

Or don't move house if it works for you.

Bigger problem is the short drop journeys <3km especially at secondary school.

480 m ?
How do you get in there?
£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$$£$£$£$£$£$

Diversity and opportunity for all who can afford it right?

The school that my youngest goes to has a maximum catchment size of 480m

Family sends child 1 to tiny catchment school when they live 300m away. 4 years later they move a bazillion miles away to be in catchment of the secondary school they want in a couple of years. Then child 2 gets in to tiny catchment primary on the sibling rule but has a bazillion mile journey for 7 years.

Of course there are a huge number of parents that are just downright fucking lazy and unnecessarily drive their kids to school.

But there are also loads of things that are beyond the control of parents.

You and you child may be happy at the local school that you can walk to, but then your elderly parent needs to come and live with you, or you have another child, now you need a larger house. You can't afford to buy that locally so you have to move 3 or 4 miles away. Do you:
a) Get by and live in a squashed home with a less than ideal number of bedrooms?
b) Move, pull your child from the local school you were happy with, effectively ending all of their existing school friendships, and run the lottery of the local school that may be dogshit?
c) Move and keep your child at the old school and somehow make it work (possibly by car)?

You can see why many people opt for (c).

The status/importance that modern parents put on primary schooling has a lot to answer for.

It's also very easy for people with large amounts of disposable income, and/or no kids, to go full judgelord on those that don't have as much choice.

There is also the option to let your kids go to local shit school, join the PTA, fund raise, lobby, be that noisy parent and be a force for good in helping improve your community

Walk pushing my sweet fixie!
Eldest gets on the public bus to her secondary or we tandem there.
There's a large number of primary schools where we are so have loads of choice. There's a large number of food bank users at the school so it's hardly exclusive. It is Catford afterall - hardly any pubs but a shit load of primary schools.

The status/importance that modern parents put on primary schooling has a lot to answer for.

Our of interest do you have any reading on why the quality/attainment of primary schools aren't important?

Always interested in this stuff.

It's also very easy for people with large amounts of disposable income, and/or no kids, to go full judgelord on those that don't have as much choice.

This.

Yeah. I mean I'm hoping by secondary school they're getting a school bus so we're not having to do a drop-off.

But at this point I have no grasp of how realistic that is - nor do I want to immediately after going through all the stress of choosing and getting a primary school.

The status/importance that modern parents put on primary schooling has a lot to answer for.

Our of interest do you have any reading on why the quality/attainment of primary schools aren't important?

Nothing official (and not on the effect of outcomes for the children themselves as I'm not interested in worrying about that), just local anecdotes of individual schools.

Some of the best primary schools around me now were dogshit ~10 years ago. Some of the best primary schools around us 10 years ago are now on the verge of being dogshit.

As @greentricky said:

There is also the option to let your kids go to local shit school, join the PTA, fund raise, lobby, be that noisy parent and be a force for good in helping improve your community

Indeed. One of the dogshit ones 10 years ago got rid of their awful head, got someone new in who had amazing energy and vision and started to turn the school around. This, in turn, brought enthusiasm from the parents and everything improved massively. Now it's one of the schools that everyone wants to try and get their kid into.

Also lolz at spotting the all the over sensitive parents in this thread!

The main problem is kids

ftfy

Remember this is a lifestyle choice

Many people have to have kids otherwise society is literally doomed within a generation or two.

It sounds like you'd rather then "wrong" people didn't have kids. Tell me more how you think that would work...

Yeah. I mean I'm hoping by secondary school they're getting a school bus so we're not having to do a drop-off.

Depends on local geography of course, but mine was walking to/from school (~1km) by herself from near the end of Year 5.

Year 7 (secondary) she is getting a public bus (or two/three buses if she's really lazy). 3 miles each way. Some of her secondary school friends live 10 miles away.

This forum is a collection of utter wrong uns. 😀

I have yet to meet anyone who has claimed the reason they have children is to prevent the imminent collapse of society.

Why is no one suggesting the school moves closer?

Some of her secondary school friends live 10 miles away.

Round my way some of the religious ghetto schools really encourage that. Kids end up with insane commutes.

What we need is some sort of local organisation with the authority to open schools where there are gaps in provision rather than the current free schools, open where you like nonsense.

I have yet to meet anyone who has claimed the reason they have children is to prevent the imminent collapse of society.

Nor have I, but the logic is pretty solid.

I have, however, met plenty of people (almost exclusively those without children themselves) who use phrases like "The problem is kids" and "it's a lifestyle choice" as thinly veiled jabs at certain sections of society that should somehow be prevented from having that choice.

Of course, I'm sure that's not how you meant to come over by saying those things.

I have yet to meet anyone who has claimed the reason they have children is to prevent the imminent collapse of society.

I'm raising my kids to bring about the destruction of society.

I mean - they're feral enough as it is.

With respect to this particular forumite, I don't think he was making a veiled subjective judgement over who should be having children. He's just the childless equivalent of the smug parent always looking for an opportunity to make his point that his decision was so obviously the correct one and anyone doing differently is in some way inferior or just wrong....

I've often wondered why the childless are both so self-congratulatory, yet so bitter.

You'd think they'd be happy with all their extra cash and lack of grey hairs.

I noticed I now have grey hair growing on my balls.

^fwiw I do actually have a really high opinion of those who buck the societal pressure to have kids.

his decision was so obviously the correct one

Well, it is preventing the imminent collapse of society.

I've often wondered why the childless are both so self-congratulatory, yet so bitter.

The good news is that those genes won't be passed on to the next generation.

I noticed I now have grey hair growing on my balls.

Those will though.

People whining about the difficulty or costs of having children deserve similar amounts of sympathy that dog owners who complain about having to pick up their dogs faeces. It’s a choice you made, insert deal with it glasses.

We all make choices, they will have an impact on ourselves and others. Worrying about your environmental impact? consider how having children will further that impact etc etc.

A child isn’t just for baby shower and first Christmas cards, it’s for life. If you are complaining about the impact having a child has on your life consider how that underlying thought will impact on your behaviour around your children and how this will affect them.

I know some people who are fantastic, caring considerate parents, who are happy to make unconditional self sacrifices as part of the parenting role. My contention is with the people who wish to complain about the impact their choice to have children makes on their lives.