Travelling to School

a picture of the schools facilities

King Edward’s School has a long tradition of attracting students from a very wide geographical area and it is fortunate in the range of public transport – train, bus and tram – that makes the school accessible across the region.

Students are able to travel easily from areas such as Bromsgrove, Lichfield, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Solihull and Sutton Coldfield. We would encourage students to walk, cycle or travel by public transport wherever possible.

The school is situated near many bus routes. The 61 and 63 services run frequently between city centre and Frankley along Bristol Road, providing a convenient service for those needing to change in the city. 

The 76 goes from Bristol Road to Solihull, via Kings Heath and Yardley Wood, while the nearby 1 service opens up routes to Moseley and Acocks Green. 

National Express West Midlands also runs the 1S service, which provides a bus in the morning and afternoon between Solihull Station and the KES driveway, via Acocks Green and Moseley. This service, which is shared with KEHS, is also open to the public. National Express West Midlands travel cards are valid on this service. 

Due to National Express West Midlands withdrawing the former 51S service between Walsall and the school, alternative provision is now offered to KES and KEHS students through Endeavour Coaches. Families opting to use this school-only service will make arrangements with and pay Endeavour directly. 

You can register your interest in the service here. Students from Walsall not wishing to take this service can travel on the X51 between Walsall and the city centre, transferring to the 61 or 63 along Bristol Road. 

Many students travel on the Cross-City line which runs between Redditch and Lichfield, going via New Street Station and stopping at Four Oaks and Sutton Coldfield. 

University Station is our nearest station and students can walk through the university campus to school. It takes less than 10 minutes and is very safe, not least because so many of our students are walking the same route. 

Direct trains to Bromsgrove, Droitwich Spa and Worcester are also available from University Station. 

There are also rail options from Hagley and Stourbridge with a change to a bus or another train in the city centre. 

Students travelling from the Wolverhampton direction have the option of taking a tram and then transferring to a bus or train in the City Centre. 

Students are welcome to cycle to school and bikes can be locked safely in the bike sheds. 

Please bring and use a good cycle lock and do not leave your bike in school overnight. Cyclists should wear a helmet and bikes should have good lights front and back in the winter months. 

We would also recommend the use of a high visibility jacket and panniers for carrying things safely. 

Pedestrians should enter and exit the site via the pedestrian gates along the Bristol Road by the Sports Centre, or the pedestrian gates located at the top of the driveway on Edgbaston Park Road. 

There is no pedestrian access onto the site via the gate by Park Vale Drive (off Bristol Road): these are vehicle access only.  

If you do need to bring your son to school by car in the morning, please drop him off inside the gates at the top of the driveway behind the Foundation Office on Edgbaston Park Road or on the Parade Ground, which is accessed via Park Vale Drive which leads off Bristol Road (B5 7SP). Please do not drive down the main driveway towards the school’s front door. In the afternoon you must pick him up from the Parade Ground, coming on to site via Park Vale Drive.

The Park Vale gate opens at 3.45pm on Monday to Thursday, and at 4pm on Fridays because the Cadets use the Parade Ground, and there is strictly no access before these times.

You should not park or pick up in front of the Foundation office or outside the Sports Centre on Bristol Road for safety reasons because there is a lot of pedestrian traffic in these areas.

When driving on school grounds, please be sure to respect the 5mph speed limit.

Planning your journey

It may be useful to have a trial run on public transport before the start of term so students can familiarise themselves with the route. It is also a good idea for students to know of alternative ways home in case they stay for an after-school activity, miss a bus or if one of the services is disrupted. 

To assist with planning your journey and finding the best combination of bus, train and tram travel from home to school, you can make use of the journey planners on www.nxbus.co.uk or www.tfwm.org.uk.

“Getting the train to school is a positive experience as you get to connect with students across different years.”

George – Year 8

Travels from Blake Street

a picture of the schools campus

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