School not letting my child from the school

Honestly you’re wrong. We had training on this recently from both the head and the CEO of the academy trust and they have stated the school has no legal ability to stop a child from walking home. They can express concern and involve the relevant authorities, but they can’t stop the child from leaving if the parent has given permission. There is no legal age for a child to be left alone either. There is an age for a child to be solely responsible for another child and that’s 14.

So presumably you phone school when your child doesn't arrive home on time and they say she's in the ASC? At that point (having already sent an email like was suggested earlier), I would reiterate that I would not be collecting my child from the ASC either and that she would need to walk home. On a darker and more empty street so less safely.

They will find that the police and SS are profoundly uninterested, so I don't see what alternative they will have to sending her home.

@Kutika that's an excuse. Approach a parent.

You've changed your tune from him getting home just as the child would arrive, to your husband working from home and not being able to leave?

I still can't see the point in having such a fraught combative relationship with the school over this issue. You don't even want to change this rule for everyone, just for your specific exception. Why would you even want to send your child to a school where you have called the police on them, written formal complaints, and they have responded by suggesting that social services should be called? How is any of that of benefit to your child? How can you trust the school if you think they are acting illegally to the point that you call the police? It's all so extreme.

There has to be better battles that your energy could be put towards. This really is a case of refusal to back now and where it is about winning.

@EvangelicalAboutButteredToast but it is. The parent wants their kid to go god knows where alone. OP is very insistent that people will be home but doesn't answer why the people at home can't just go and get the child!

That’s the perfect response. Call their bluff. Social services will not have an issue with what you are doing.

It’s not totally different at all. The parent could turn up at school and insist they take their child at 3pm and the school would have to hand the child over. The parents rights trump the schools.

Incorrect:

“Pupil non-compliance
Teachers can discipline pupils for breaching the school’s rules on appearance or uniform. This should be carried out in accordance with the school’s published behaviour policy.
We would expect schools to deal with pupil non-compliance in a proportionate and fair way. Guidance on behaviour and discipline in schools is available.“

@Kutika if as you say it's an estate with everyone going that way, can't you ask a parent if she can walk home with their children?

Unless of course there's nobody there to let her into the house

@EvangelicalAboutButteredToast totally different. The school is releasing the child from their care and needs to be sure they'll be safe.

Well hang on, this is outside of school hours. What jurisdiction does the school have at 2pm on a Saturday afternoon or 10pm on a Sunday night? Once the school day finishes the responsibility falls on the parent or guardian, and this parent has already given permission for her child to walk home.

They have no legal authority to insist on uniform either…

This is an issue I think overall that we coddle and protect children and primary school and try and protect them from things under the guise of safeguarding before throwing them into high school and expect them to survive a completely different environment

walking home from 10 a sensible distance is a completely practical and sensible step for getting children ready. DS certainly did as we live down the road and it was just crossing a road. Others who lived farther away would pick up at ours at the beginning before they were allowed to go by themselves in year 6

its not like a switch goes off in the Septemver before high school that gives them the skill set they need gradual experience and exposure

and year 5 is the time to start

They have no authority to do so.

This is getting tiring now.

Did you miss that this is not infants? It’s year 5 ie junior school. Of course they don’t hand over kids individually to named adults in junior school.

Schools have a duty of care but what's forgotten in the midst of this is their responsibility to facilitate and support the independence of children at an age appropriate time with the involvement of parents who should ideally be taking the lead on this.

The school should not be preventing it unless they can demonstrate they have a safeguarding concern. That might be because they feel that particular child is lacking in maturity, they know there is a dangerous hazard or area the child has to navigate or because they have welfare concerns.

If they can voice that concern then they shouldn't be refusing to let the child go. Why? Because it damages the relationship with the parents and it demonstrates a lack of adequate communication with parents. The school should be able to say we see this a potential risk, how do we work together to foster independence in this particular child and remind parents of what risks there may be.

A failure to nurture independence has its own consequences.

I don’t think I ever said that. I still think that most teachers would detain a four year old or a child they knew would go home to an empty house in Y5 though.

I've been going to schools daily for 24 years none around here would do that the child has to have an adult on their approved pick up list teachers hand each one over at the door

I think the fact that not a single person is able to point to any legislation or guidance that gives schools this power tells you what you need to know. People keep saying “safeguarding” but not one person can tell me where schools get this power.

If you really want to fact-check me, you can find what I’ve been saying on page 85 of Working Together to Safeguard Children.

Agree with others that if you want her to be allowed to walk home you’ll have to call their bluff and play hardball. Refuse to pay the after school club charges or collect her. Write to let them know that you haven’t authorised her attendance, do not want them to detain her, and you won’t be paying for it; nor will anyone be picking her up at the end as you have authorized her to walk home by herself.

Pretty hard on your DD until it’s resolved, though. Maybe check how she feels about it and cave on the picking up from after school club when it’s convenient for you (but not the paying for it) if she’s uncomfortable.

I live in central London, in a fairly rough area. Yet we are expected to allow our kids to walk to and from school from start of year 5. Whether I as a parent are happy or not- such is the peer pressure to do this.

so frankly if my kid can walk 1.1km to school yours can go 300m