My primary was a good half hour walk, my secondary was about a 30-40 minute bus ride.

About the same for my kids.

Why cant they build smaller local secondary schools? It would make a lot more sense.

Thats what BSF ( Building Schools for the Future. ) is all about isn't it?

No BSF is about putting as much money into private hands whilst ensuring the service received is the lowest possible but at the highest cost to the taxpayer. But I may be just a bit cynical.

Oi look what happens when they do read... twilight and Harry Potter
It's just not worth it.

But aside from this we now have a massive generation of overbaring, overcaring, ninnying and nannying parents who wont let thier kids out of the door because they think that thte country is full of kidnappers, paedophiles and murderers.

All kids should be able to safely walk to school on thier own at the age of 10-11. In the cities and towns walking is is easily possible and parents should walk younger children to school. Primary schools are rarely more than 1 mile away from the child's residence in greater manchester.

Get rid of some of the media, problem solved.

What is walking range? We used to have to walk 4 miles to school and 4 miles back every day - unless it was absolutely teeming it down, in which case either mum would drive us in, or I'd walk a mile to a friends house and get a lift with him...

Edit: Those living in one village and the kids going to school in another village is one thing, children living in a town, within a mile or two of the school, should have no excuse!

I walked to all of my schools and was about 2 miles from the secondary. IIRC students living 3-4 miles away were given a bus pass. I'm sure that everyone I knew within the cut off distance made their own way to school apart from in adverse weather.

I've enjoyed taking (driving) the kids to school these last few months. There is a pub carpark 200 yards from the school, which is easier than trying park outside it.

The police are now discouraging people from parking outside the primary school, giving out tickets and warnings, but are making no effort to do the same at the local high school.

There is more room to park near the primary school, but the usual convoy of 4x4s that stop outside the high school are actually parking on the main road. Obviously, pupils attending the high school are more able to walk to school than the kids that go to the primary school.

Is it just me or have the police got it ar$e-backwards, again?

Name a time they've got it the right way around.

Yes, kids should walk. Yes, they should read. But again, I'd like to point out that unless you're a parent or a school kid there's bugger all you can do about it.

not exactly more able since you can live many miles away from highschool but usually only 0-1.5 miles away from primary.