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Original poster

Would you allow an 11yo to pick up 8yo from school?

89 replies

cadburyegg · 05/05/2026 09:10

My 11yo starts secondary in September and is excited about the prospect of being able to pick up his 8yo brother (who will be in y4) from school once a week when he would normally go to after school club.

I had agreed to this in theory but I am suddenly unsure. My 11yo is responsible but 8yo is quite young for his age and can be silly.

Primary school is about 20 min walk from our house / 10 minute cycle ride. We live in a quiet village but drivers can drive too fast on the road to our estate.

thoughts? When did you allow siblings to pick up from school?

OP posts:
nam3c4ang3 · 05/05/2026 09:19

Our school wont allow this, has to be an adult. Personally i also think it's bonkers (i have a responsible 12 year old) - what if the sibling plays up? You expecting the 11 year old to manage that? Its a bit mad OP...

Theonebutnotonly · 05/05/2026 09:19

Obeseandashamed · 05/05/2026 09:13

My youngest school doesn’t allow anybody under the age of 18 to collect them even if the parent is sat in the car but otherwise I would say it’s fine.

I’m intrigued by this! Are they really allowed to refuse to let, say, an eight or ten-year-old leave with their fifteen-year-old sibling? It seems absolutely ridiculous to me. I don’t understand what business it is of theirs if the parents think it’s safe. (Obviously it would be different if the younger child was very young or had behaviour/medical problems and they had reason to think it would be unsafe.)

Lmnop22 · 05/05/2026 09:19

Absolutely not with the way you describe your 8yo and the length of the journey.

Also, this almost certainly won’t be allowed by the school.

Bloodorangekangaroo · 05/05/2026 09:18

A lot of kids in area pick up siblings and walk home with them. Some even walk home alone from 10. It does tend to be the more Mature children though. The odd few really shouldn’t be walking home alone at 10 or even walking a sibling home.

tnorfotkcab · 05/05/2026 09:18

Obeseandashamed · 05/05/2026 09:13

My youngest school doesn’t allow anybody under the age of 18 to collect them even if the parent is sat in the car but otherwise I would say it’s fine.

that's mad!

HoTToTouch · 05/05/2026 09:18

This isn’t allowed in my kids school

Floppyearedlab · 05/05/2026 09:18

Yes it’s fine.
But I would have a back up plan in case the older boy wants to do any clubs/be with friends after school etc.

Whinge · 05/05/2026 09:17

It depends on the children.

My 11yo is responsible but 8yo is quite young for his age and can be silly.

Your description of your son would make this an easy no.

It's far too much to expect an 11 year old to be responsible for someone who is well known for being silly and immature. I would let the 11 year old have some time alone, to do homework or relax, without having to keep an eye on her younger brother. Then reassess the situation next year

CuriousKangaroo · 05/05/2026 09:16

No. It is good to give a child responsibility as they grow up, so going to and from school is great. But at 11 I think it is too early for that responsibility to be for a younger child, especially one you describe as being young for their age and silly.

Heronwatcher · 05/05/2026 09:15

It would very much depend on the kids and the journey. I think in some situations my 8 yr old might be safer on their own. In the situation you describe, a decently long walk with potential to have cars going quite fast no I don’t think I would do this unless I really had to. But my 8 yr old has not great road sense (just prone to arsing about) and I wouldn’t say that my 11 yr old would necessarily “spot” danger in the same way an adult would (like hearing a car coming, saying “oh there’s a car coming keep to the side” etc).

FrankSinatraonToast · 05/05/2026 09:14

Would the Primary School allow this? I only ask because the school I taught at would only permit pupils to be collected by siblings aged over 16. Worth checking.

Obeseandashamed · 05/05/2026 09:13

My youngest school doesn’t allow anybody under the age of 18 to collect them even if the parent is sat in the car but otherwise I would say it’s fine.

Sunisgettinganewhaton · 05/05/2026 09:12

Our primary(small village school) won't let an under 18 collect a sibling.

Heartshapedlips · 05/05/2026 09:11

Yes sure I would. I did this for my little brother and I loved feeling responsible. It was bonding for the two of us

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