Junior school - collection arrangements

[Roisin]

A quick survey of your junior schools - yr3-6 (age 7-10) if I may?

1. Are the children 'handed over' to parents/carers at the end of the day? ie does the teacher come out with them and checks who each child is going home with?

No
Yes, but only for yr3, yr4...
Yes right up to yr6

1. Are the children allowed to walk home unaccompanied?

No
Yes, from yr/age ...

1. Is it 'unusual' for a child in yr4 to be walking home unaccompanied at your school?

Many thanks.

[OddBoots]

1. Yes for Y3 and Y4
   
2. From Y5
   
3. Not allowed in Y4

[Iwantacampervan]

1.Year 3 only

1. Yes - year 4 onwards. Nothing explicitly written down though.
2. Unusual - normally year 5 and 6. But many do live very clos to school.

[MrsKCastle]

1. Yes, up to y6.
2. Yes, with written permission
3. Yes.

[headoverheels]

1. No
2. Years 5 and 6 only
3. Not allowed

[singinggirl]

Judged on an individual basis, the child who lives next door (in what was the original schoolhouse) walks home on his own in year 3.

[RestingActress]

No
Yes
Yes but some do, usually with friends

[3bunnies]

1. no
2. from yr 6 or yr 5 with written permission
3. no - although some do against school wishes

[3bunnies]

I mean all yr 6 can, yr 5 parents must give written permission.

[3bunnies]

ahhh and point 3 -they aren't supposed to but some do - I need more sleep

[Eastpoint]

1 yes all children handed over until summer term of yr 6
2 yes yr 6 in the summer term with consent letter from parents
3 children not allowed to go home on their own until summer term yr 6

[insanityscatching]

1. yes up to y6
2. yes with written permission
3. it happens but it isn't that common y5 seems to be when walking home alone starts here.

[Mikkii]

1 yes all children handed over, but once in juniors (y3) school are more relaxed about them going with another known parent e.g. A friends parent.

2 not that I am aware of

3 not that I know of, but I don't do pick up

[magichamster]

Ours is a junior school, I don't know if arrangements would be different if it was the ks2 section of a primary school.

1 - No, from first day in yr3 all children come out on their own.

2 - Yes, from first day in yr 3

3 - Um...ds is in year 4. It tends to be the year that children start being more independent. Not many will walk or cycle all the way, but parents start meeting them on the journey. Some with siblings in yr6 will walk home with them.

Why? What are the arrangements at your school?

[Goldendandelion]

1 - No
2 - Yes from year 3
3 - No

[TamerB]

I would be pretty horrified if they were 'handed over' once they were in the junior school.
We lived close to the school so mine walked to and for from school when I thought they were able. We didn't have permission, I don't see how anyone would know. They should all be doing it by the ended of year 6 as they will be doing it at secondary school.

[Jinty64]

1. No, the children come out on their own (after the first two weeks in P1)
   
   
2. It is up to the parents.
   
   
3. it is not unusual for them to walk home alone

[mankyscotslass]

1. Yes up to year 5

1. Only from Year 6

1. Not allowed in in YR 4

[Roisin]

Many thanks: interesting to see very diverse responses, but I guess it is influenced by the setting of the school.

I'll explain my reason in a mo.

Thanks

[bryte]

1. Y5 and Y6 are let loose without a teacher checking
2. Yes
3. Only as unusual as any child walking home unaccompanied. I see some. They tend to be children who live 5 minutes walk away from the school. More likely they are Y5 and Y6 but I am sure I see younger ones.

[Roisin]

In my boys' primary, the answers were:

1. No. (yr3 teacher would come out, but not closely check departures. yr4+ children came out alone.)
   
2. Yes: children were allowed to walk home alone from yr3, maybe even younger
   
3. Yes
   
   We have since moved area, but the new area is a very nice area with low crime and traffic no better or worse than most places..
   
   We were discussing arrangements for dismissing children from Sunday School at a meeting. Some people were suggesting that all children up to the age of 11 should be individually handed over to a parent/carer (all parents/carers remain on the premises in the church service at the time); rather than being allowed to walk down a flight of stairs themselves to meet them.
   
   I was very surprised and when I commented that this was far more cautious than schools are at this age and that most juniors will be walking home on their own from school, they looked at me horrified!
   
   Thanks for your help.

[redskyatnight]

1. No. Teacher comes out in Y3 but doesn't check who picks up children (well, they do for about the first week or so but not after that)

1. No restrictions on walking home alone - you are asked to tell the office if your child does go home alone, but fairly sure not all parents do!

1. Children who live close to school will be walking home alone from Y4 quite happily, and certainly know a few Y3 children who walk with older (e..g Y6) sibling. By Y5 I'd say that at least half of children who live close enough to walk/cycle home are doing so on their own.

[MirandaWest]

1. Are the children 'handed over' to parents/carers at the end of the day? ie does the teacher come out with them and checks who each child is going home with?

For juniors (year 3 to 6) the children come out on their own and need to find the person they're going home with.

1. Are the children allowed to walk home unaccompanied?

Yes year 5 and 6 are allowed to go home from school on their own. Although there isn't any way to know that year 3 and 4 don't.

1. Is it 'unusual' for a child in yr4 to be walking home unaccompanied at your school?

It would be "unusual" although as mentioned in 2 it could easily happen. Probably DD who is in year 3 might start walking home on her own in year 4 at some point as we are very near school with one quiet road to cross. Probably wouldn't do it all the time until she's in year 5. At after school clubs up to year 4 have to be handed over to a parent or care giver.

[have4goneinsane]

1. Teacher only comes out in Prep, Grade 1 teachers keep an eye out but that's it, after that the expectation is that many have younger sibs in the school so need to meet sibs/parents elsewhere and/or may be making their own way home.
2. No specific age, probably not Prep and very few Grade 1s unless they live very close
3. Totally normal - 3/4s of the school live within walking distance so from Grade 3 at least 50% will make their own way home by themselves, from Grade 5 often with younger siblings in tow

That's pretty typical of all schools locally

[ShadowOfTheDay]

what??? the school here has never said a parent/child had to travel in any particular "formation"....

Junior school you can go/return alone if you like...

Generally more parents pick up Y3/4... generally more parents pick up in the winter or if it is wet.... but most kids here are local and walk..