Does your primary school allow children to walk home alone?

[Mocktober]

Straw poll. Are children at your primary school (up to age 11) allowed to walk home alone?

Yes. Year 6 with signed consent from parents or carers.

P1 and P2 are released to an adult. P3 and above can walk home alone, but the school don't require permission.

Y5 and Y6 but a permission form has to be signed

From y3. I've never noticed them from that young though.

With staggered drop offs, many y5 & 6 now drop and run. There's about 3 or 4 of us standing around for y5 from younger siblings. They are otherwise unsupervised.

My y5 is approaching his 10th birthday and is beginning to be interested in walking 200m up the road and crossing the road in front of our house. I'm fine with that.

Year 5 and 6 with permission form. Must be going home to someone home, although they don't check, and less than 30 minute walk.

Yes. But only year 6 with written permission

Sad times. I used to walk myself home from school from age 7-8

Yes, year 6 with parent permission

@DebbieFiderer

Yep, KS2 with written permission. Lots more parents taking advantage of it this year to avoid congestion on the playground, often meeting the kids outside the gates. School are encouraging it for the same reason.

In infants we went into the playground to collect; in juniors parents stood outside for Y3 and Y4 (called the lower school) where they could be seen from the school door; in upper school the gate was much further away (ie parents couldn't be seen) and the Y5 and 6 parents either collected from there, or from a recognised meeting point further down the road, or else child walked home themselves.

I liked this procedure as it was gradual withdrawing and allowing more responsibility as time went on, if that was what the parent wanted to do (no permission needed from school but they liked to know what your preferred method was, in case of any hiccups). I don't know what they're doing now but I imagine a similar process will work for them.

Only in year 6

I have no idea but there's only two houses within walking distance of the school so not many actually walk.

Previous schools
School 1- Yr3. Most kids lived pretty near, only big road had a pedestrian crossing.
School 2- school buses, had to be collected from bus stop until aged 10 (local law in a country where people insist the children go alone from aged 5/6... They don't!)

In Scotland and my experience is only p1 and 2 must be handed directly to parents. My primary 7 collects my p3.