Would this worry you? Child walking to school unaccompanied

[BikeRunSki]

Our next door neighbours have 2 DC, one Y5 age, one YR age. They walk to school unaccompanied by an adult every morning. Sometimes they are joined by a friend, who is also Y5.

The journey to school is short - around 150 m along pavement along a main road, crossing 3 side roads. Over a pedestrian crushing. Another 30m or so into school. Takes about 2 mins! School encourages children to walk to school if they can from Y5, in prep for moving up at Y6 (we have middle schools).

My concern is more about a 9 year old being responsible for a 4 year old (both dc have birthdays in the summer holidays) crossing a fast, busy road. There are pedestrian crossing lights, but there are still accidents on that crossing every few years (I have lived here over 20 years).

I would offer to take them with my DC, but I start work at 8 am and my dc go to breakfast club first. Seeing the girls next door go off alone slightly worries me every morning, but I don’t know if I am being overprotective of someone else’s dc! We don’t really know the people next door, dd has picked up on their ages/birthdays by playing ball with them over the fence!!

@denverRegina

Ah no, poor little thing at 4 years old. Lazy parenting at best.

Why are they "poor little thing"? Loads of kids walk to school at 4 and it's only 150 metres, not miles! Most 4 year olds run more than 150 metres in circles whilst they play! 🤣 They probably love walking with their sibling.

How can you be so judgy and say it is lazy parenting when you have no idea why they are walking? Maybe needs must! Must be a lovely view from up on your high horse!

The school must be aware

In Switzerland they would have to walk on their own. Are they from Switzerland or Germany where this is normal?

I wouldn't do anything about it. I took my brother to school when he was 5 and I was 7! Over two main roads about 1.5 miles away.

DS can't believe that his Nan allowed such a thing but we all did it. I can't get het up about a 2 min walk.

If they walked along happily and I just saw them I couldn't be concerned. If they seemed to be bickering, whether looked upset or signs of neglect I might feel differently.

Inbreeding another poster mentions about perception of freedom/risk being linked to parents education level. I read research article that found this too:

The study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research into Public Health, found that children who were white, not first-born and whose parents had a higher level of education were allowed out at a younger age.

Media article about it that they c&p from amp.theguardian.com/society/2021/apr/20/gradual-lockdown-of-uk-children-as-age-for-solo-outdoor-play-rises

I'm glad to read they are walking that distance and not going in a car. As it is not a lone child not something I would be concerned about. The only suggestion I have is that to talk with your neighbour, let them know your DD goes to breakfast club, and if they are going at any point in future, you'd be happy for your DD and them to go together.

Mine walked to school alone Yr 5 having to cross 3 main roads.

I would ring school at that, the safeguarding instinct in me would be kicking in. Our school make you sign to say Year 5& 6 can walk to and from alone, but to be responsible for a very young sibling is too much imo.

My mum took herself to school and back from 5 years old, it involved a 20 minute walk and two buses. She would have been amused and confused by the concern at a 9 year old and 4 year old walking 2 minutes down the road. But obviously things are very different now.

In Japan it's common for children to take themselves on the subway from 5/6 years old apparently, which seems nuts!

Don’t sit there and worry about it, just tell school and then they can make the judgement call as professionals/safeguarding. What if you didn’t say and something did occur?

If I was the parent and the school told me I shouldn't do it I would tell them to report me to social services. It is a parents decision. Unless there are other signs the parents are irresponsible I would trust their judgement.

"I think that’s quite unfair they may have to work and can’t afford breakfast club"

So now they're at work too, so the 4 year old is ok to be home alone?

We don't live in Japan , she's 4 years old and should not be home alone.

As for the 9 year old having responsibility for getting them to school, not fair and not right.

I wouldn't have an issue with it at all. Children are babied so much in this country, it's ridiculous. It's a short distance, the parents presumably feel their children are sensible enough to be trusted. It's none of your business.

"Mine walked to school alone Yr 5 having to cross 3 main roads."

That's nice for them.

And when they were 4 years old?

In the 1950’s, I walked to school alone aged 4, in reception year, once my mother had shown me the way a couple of times!
My own DDs walked to school together aged 7 and 6, without an adult. They had to cross a slightly busier road with a lot of lorry traffic, but there was a teacher on crossing patrol duty.
I think children can manage a lot more than people think - there is a tendency to wrap them in cotton wool until much older these days than previous generations.
We used to be out unsupervised all day in the school holidays, from very young. Older kids would keep a bit of an eye on younger siblings, but we were all much more resourceful and resilient than now. I was home alone all day for the whole school holidays, and cooked my own lunch on a gas stove when mother was working, from about the age of ten.

Road sense and road safety is an essential life skill, and is one that I'm not sure is truly learnt while the child is always walking with an adult who can be relied upon to keep an eye out and keep them safe even if they aren't paying attention and following the rules.

Four is very young but it dependent on the child - my younger would definitely not have been able to be relied upon to obey an older child until fairly recently (he's 7). My older child is a rule-follower and would have probably been safe to walk with an older child at that age.

Assuming the parent knows their children and trusts them to walk safely, then it's likely any accidents would be just that, accidents, which could well have happened in the presence of the parent (car or cyclist running the lights, car mounting the pavement etc).

In Switzerland and lots of other countries it's totally common
The risk of abduction hasn't changed much over the years it's about one child a year is randomly abducted , I used to walk home from school but it would not be allowed now

No this is wrong. People talking about the 1950s etc are talking rubbish. There are more cars on the roads, drug taking, active pedophiles encouraged by the internet ...
The parents are negligent. End of. I’d ring the school then it’s on them

I think this is not your concern. In other countries children regularly walk to school from age 5 or so, without a sibling - our Swiss friends were astonished that parents seem to accompany children here right up to Year 7 and beyond. Their daughters went alone from 5. If there is a pedestrian crossing and they always wait for the light then I don't see that there's a real risk either. Not your business.

"In the 1950’s, I walked to school alone aged 4, in reception year, once my mother had shown me the way a couple of times!
My own DDs walked to school together aged 7 and 6, without an adult. They had to cross a slightly busier road with a lot of lorry traffic, but there was a teacher on crossing patrol duty."

So you didn't let your own kids walk aged 4 back in the 70s? And there was a teacher to help them by the time they were allowed a few years later?

There are a ridiculous number of cars on the road and the driving and parking around schools is terrible.

It's not "wrapping children in cotton wool" to make sure a 4 year old gets to school safely .

There are 6 million cars in Switzerland and they don't drive like utter knobs near schools. It really isn't comparable and nobody I know walks a year 7 child to school.

There are 33 million cars in the UK and people act like entitled wankers when they drive here. From year 5 most kids are walking home alone which is a world away from the youngest child in the reception class. That's what we're talking about here.

Tbf I live near a secondary school and there are always cars picking up their children (I know because the park on the pavement like complete idiots meaning I have to walk into the road with my pram)

I have to pull into the secondary school traffic to get anywhere from my house. Absolute nightmare.

I would be happier for my 9 year old to walk to the secondary school rather than the primary.

I don't see the problem - it's a 2 minute walk. Might be different if it were further but that's so short it's really not an issue.

I think it's fine. It's not socially acceptable but it's certainly not unsafe or any more unsafe in the long-term than constant supervision.

Would recommend reading Tim Gill's Urban Playground - he's great on giving children space and independence backed up by research and practice.