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

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.

So, basically, Switzerland has a slightly higher car ownership relative to area and a considerably higher car ownership relative to population than the UK?

I can't attest to Swiss driving ability but people in the UK overwhelmingly do not drive "like entitled wankers", certainly not compared to most countries I've been to.

UK children aren't more endangered or inherently less capable than most.

@LegoPoliceman really? Well several posters disagree. It is utterly chaotic outside most UK primary schools at the start and the end of the school day.

People here are seemingly obsessed with comparison to Switzerland but you know, most of them walk their children to school too if they don't catch the school bus.

Depends on the children. Two of mine at those ages would have been fine including crossing roads. They knew how to cross roads, pay for buses and more from an early age because I taught them.

What are people expecting the school to do? Volunteer to do the school run? Force parent(s) to adjust their working hours?

We had a situation like this when I was teaching, a (not very bright) y6 bringing a Reception child to school. The Head looked into the legality with the LA and, if the parents say it's OK, there's nothing the school can do.

A sensible 9 is very capable of walking a well behaved 4 such a short distance , remembering to hold hands on the crossing etc.

@denverRegina

What do you want the school to do? What do you suggest the parents do? Give up their jobs / change their working hours to walk the 2 minutes / 150 metres to school? What if their parent is disabled and unable to take them? What if the children want to walk to school? Why can't you accept that some 4 & 9 year olds are sensible and responsible enough to walk such a short distance together? Maybe the ones you know wouldn't be which is causing you to feel so anxious. My daughter would have been as would my sister and I (who did walk to and from school together many times and it was a lot further than 150 metres!).

I have the same age children, my 9 year old walks to school herself. The walk involves crossing one quiet side road and then another side road outside the school which is busier with school traffic. About a 3 minute walk. No way would I allow her to walk my 4 year old to nursery. I would imagine the nursery stuff wouldn't be very happy about it either.

But then my 4 year old (well a week off of 4) is very young for her age and that's how I imagine all 4 year olds in my head so I'm probably being a bit dramatic.

I don't think it's really fair on either child for a 9 year old to be responsible for a 4 year old, even for a short period of time. I would probably be tempted to say something but only if I had a solution e.g. taking the child myself with my own kids. Otherwise it will not go down well and I doubt anything would change other than souring relations with your neighbours.

@Chickenkatsu

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

No

"What do you want the school to do? What do you suggest the parents do? Give up their jobs / change their working hours to walk the 2 minutes / 150 metres to school? What if their parent is disabled and unable to take them? What if the children want to walk to school? Why can't you accept that some 4 & 9 year olds are sensible and responsible enough to walk such a short distance together? Maybe the ones you know wouldn't be which is causing you to feel so anxious."

Sorry what? are you ok? I haven't said the school should do anything, nor that anyone should be reported for anything.

Can you read?

And yes, I think parents (or someone over the age of 9) should be there to look after a 4 year old in the mornings. Don't you?

"I don't think it's really fair on either child for a 9 year old to be responsible for a 4 year old"

It really isn't. But be careful or you'll be accused of anxiety, God forbid anyone cares whether a young reception child has breakfast or makes it to school eh?

The school will already know. MYOB

I started this thread to ask if this situation would concern anyone. I’m not going to do or say anything. Obviously the parents trust their DC. It’s not the dissent that was concerning, but the crossing on a very busy, fast road. Since the school crossing patrol lady retired about 10 years ago, three school children have been hit by cars on or near that crossing.

I wonder what will happen next year when the 9 year old goes to a different school? Presumably the 5 year old will walk on their own?

I'm not sure that its neccessarily relevant whether any of us walked to school age 4 or 5 in the 50s, 60s, 70s 80s etc. I dont think abductions or paedophilia is more common, but I do think there are more cars around, especially at school times.
I'm pretty sure there were more lollipop ladies etc when I was at school (1980s) as well, and more SAHP who might have been around to keep an eye out for kids on their own.