10 year old alone after school?

So too old as of the new school year? If they were an August baby they'd be going into secondary and it's very common for just turned 11 year old secondary students to get themselves to and from school and be home alone for a couple of hours. Just cut them a key, hide another, they'll be fine.

Well you have said anyone leaving a 10 year child alone is neglecting them in a prior comment. You presumably think I’m also neglecting my 9 year old who lets herself in and stays alone for an hour one day a week.

To answer your questions their teachers would presumably think it was fine as it’s pretty normal for kids at the School, the NSPCC have a whole set of suggestions for how you know when your kids are ready to be left alone that my 7 year old would actually have met when she was 6 and I can’t imagine social services would particularly care when my daughter is happy, well adjusted and could clearly articulate what she’d do in case there was ever a problem.

Its fine you’d rather not leave your child at 9/10 or whatever age as you know them and what they can manage & would be comfortable with best but you are being really melodramatic and judgmental about other people making different choices and it’s just totally unnecessary.

How does your child feel about the idea of being home alone OP? That's the most important thing to consider, after considering whether or not you think they can be trusted.
But in all honesty I wouldn't even think twice at age 10 unless severe extra needs. I'm in Finland, pretty much all the kids start getting left alone for periods of time from 8 or 9 at the latest, usually at 6 or 7 when they start 1st grade.

Could you ask around or see on Facebook if there’s a teen babysitter in village eg a 16/17 yr old. Our young leaders in girlguides are first aid trained, sensible girls who would be perfectly suited to a little job like this.

Given that you've never met my child and don't know her upbringing at all; on what are you basing your comment that I am neglecting her?

Have you name-changed?

You've asked a question. Like everyone else on here I've given you an answer. If you're comfortable with letting your kid get themselves home and stay home alone for two hours every day go for it.

Would you be happy to ask their teachers, or the NSPCC or social services what their view was though?

When I was young "latchkey" kids were not at all unusual and most were fine because they had been prepared for it by being trained in resilience There might be a friends house they could go to or they might have had to look after themselves or play out in the street with other such children.

When my kid was young there was a family nearby where both parents had to work to survive. The neighbours kept an eye out.

Nowadays kids can have a phone and summon help easily if they need it. We dont need to baby children as much as we do now.

It’s common where I am in the UK that kids walk to/from school & let themselves in from Y5.
Many of them are allowed to go to friends or the park or for a hot chocolate at the local supermarket cafe on the way home. Some will be home for 2-3 hours alone of an evening but most it’s more like 30-60 minutes. Knowing that was going to happen this school year we started building up to it from 7 onward.
My 7 year old can already work heating, make simple food, sort her packed lunch out, reset the internet, fix a tripped switch on fuse board, turn off the water at the stopcock and she knows how to contact us/her grandparents, neighbours she can call on for help if needed, how to dial 999 & how to open the doors/windows. It always surprises me how incapable lots of people seem satisfied for their 9/10/11 year old kids to be but I guess as you say it’s just horses for courses.

Given that you've never met my child and don't know her upbringing at all; on what are you basing your comment that I am neglecting her?

This was really common when I was a kid, not sure when it became so unreasonable. I wouldn’t be against it once they turned 11 but I’d try and break it up a bit. Night or two at after school activity. Try and finish early once a week type stuff.

An 8 year old doing that, blimey. Friends' eldest turns 8 in June and I wouldn't leave him unsupervised for more than a few minutes, he'd injure himself or break something, plus he doesn't like being by himself even upstairs if adults are downstairs.

No I think they are too young. If there is no after school club or friend that can help you will have no option but to use the childminder.

Thinking about this, my 12 year old collects his 10 year old and 7 year old siblings from school (whilst I wait outside the gates) he isn't allowed to do this but I had to convince the school to allow it as my daughter can't come into the playground (asd) so school agreed to it on the conditions that I was outside the whole time and he wasn't allowed to bring them home alone or they weren't allowed to be at home alone. Yet on here 8 year olds are coming home from school alone and being alone for hours?! Where does everyone live that that's allowed.

Jesus Christ this is terrible. He is eight!

I say that as a full time working parent , I never ever would have done this. Blimey. Especially in the winter when it gets dark so early. Gosh. Poor kid. You really need to bring more accountable and responsible as a parent!

Have just read some of the 'report them for safeguarding concerns' up thread 😳😂
As a PP said, entire nations are being slated here. The entirety of Asia for a start.

It's all context. My children grew up in a country where children got the train and bus home alone from 8 upwards. Here, I didn't allow that (mostly because public transport is shit in the U.K.) but walking distance from 9 suited my children. By 9 my children knew eg- how the heating turns on/ how to make simple snacks like scrambled eggs on toast/ pancakes etc solo/ who (and how) to call in an emergency etc.

My son's best friend has ADHD and has not yet been left alone (13) as it's not something he'd cope with or be safe with.
Different courses for different horses.

Totally depends on the child.

It was fairly common when I was a child. I often used to go to my friend's house after school as she was usually on her own for a couple of hours. We didn't get up to any mischief, just read Jackie, watched TV and ate crisps.

My 10 year old DD walks home alone (with friends), let's herself in, makes a snack and jumps on Roblox. She's home alone for 1 to 11/2 hours and is fine. She needs our permission to leave school alone.

What?

no, of course not! What a ridiculous notion!

My son has done this since y5. It's not every day though. The days where he does this there is a nice snack at home and he walks home slowly, eats that and watches TV. He's usually surprised when I get home that it's already 5.30!
Now he's y6 he makes his own snack.
He has a phone now too and I also have small cameras in some rooms which we can talk through so I 'call' him via that on my way home.
I am lucky that I have friends and family close who WFH and whose numbers he has. We went through a 'what to do if' scenario before he started this.
It's not neglect for a 10yo to walk home and get a snack by themselves.

I think even in UK, this depends on context. OP says she lives in a smaller village, so that’s very different than if she was living in a big city. Also depends on the child - if they’re mature, sensible and reliable or anxious and immature. There are no bars and fast rules. You know your kid and local environment best, OP. Make your own decision, but don’t let it be ruled by fear of other people’s judgements.

<insert huge eye roll here> Well if you live in Sweden then clearly you’re parenting in a different culture and risk environment. I dare say it’s normal in vast areas of the world to leave 8 year olds unsupervised or even expect them to surpervise other younger children. Doesn’t make it appropriate, especially in a U.K. context.

Why didn't you state that you live in Sweden?

I assume the OP is posting from the UK

Surely you understand different cultural norms?

for god’s sake, how do you all think kids survived in the past? And no, every other kid wasn’t kidnapped, mileages or hit by a car back in the 80s when this was the norm. No wonder so many kids suffer from anxiety today.

You’ll be rather busy reporting the entire parental population of sweden to social services 🤣

If I knew you were allowing that I’d be making a safeguarding notification to school, and probably social services. Three hours alone at age 8, after walking home from school alone/maybe taking himself to the park, is ridiculous and frankly neglectful. I’m amazed the school hasn’t raised concerns.

You better report the entirety of sweden then