Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Hi - my daughter will be starting in 2nd form at CH in Sept. She is both excited & nervous as expected though not as nervous as me! I wondered if there is any way of connecting with other parents/guardians in the East London area whose children get the train back on their own on leave weekends so we could arrange for her to travel back with others. I am less worried about her getting the train but trying to get the tube home on Friday afternoon rush hour at Victoria Station might prove daunting for a while. I am unable to travel to CH to collect her on leave weekends or to get to Victoria Station early enough to meet the train and I am sure it is a common problem. Any information as to how to find CH parents/guardians in my local area would be greatly appreciated. Or are there other arrangements made for those travelling alone? Thank you so much for your help and apologies to all of you who must tire of us newbies with our questions!

Finding people to share travel with can be very difficult in my experience. Even having found other families in my area, I found their plans rarely matched up with ours... It's worth asking your daughters house mistress of course, as you may strike lucky, but if I were you, I think I'd be spending some time over the holidays practising the tube journey together. ☺

My 4 brothers were lucky as we lived less than 10 minutes away from Victoria. But it was harder for us 3 Hertford girls to get back from Liverpool Street..... Hope you can get it sorted!

Hi Lucy,

My child has always travelled home by train to Victoria (and then 2 buses home, sometimes with me if I'm around and sometimes on their own, from there to save on Tube fare, but you possibly live too far out to do that?) and in general I'd definitely agree with Volupturaptor that you just need to get her used to the journey from Victoria over the summer. I'm sure she'll cope and the Junior arrival puts them just that bit ahead of the real rush hour so it's not as busy as it could be. I think some pupils get off at Clapham J and get Tube/Overground from there by the way - might that work for you? There is a member of staff on the Junior train and I seem to remember that they hang around at Victoria for a while and can help if needed.

The one exception is that first leave weekend they come home! I've stood in the station several times now and watched that arrival and how the new 2nd formers come off the train looking exhausted, bewildered, shell-shocked, relieved, bursting with news and desperate to see a friendly face (in various combinations) and I'd say that, if it is remotely possible, you should try to arrange for either yourself or a friend to be there on that one occasion. That first hug when you get them back after the longest 3 weeks of your life is a magic moment anyway.

Antinous

Thank you everyone for your posts!
I asked the Coleridge A house mistress about anyone else living nearby but they don't. I think I will try to arrange something so someone can meet her at Victoria on that first leave weekend. Yes we probably will practice the tube journey as suggested. I am sure it will work out somehow.