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Original poster

How old were your children when they started walking to school alone?

87 replies

OceanVibes · 01/06/2021 13:56

I have a 8 and 10 year old child who are both desperate to walk to school alone.
I received a form from the school about permission to release them and I didn't allow permission because I'm in two minds about whether or not I should allow them to.
The school is just under a 4 minute walk away from our home, I have left them home alone to go shopping and they are very sensible children.
We have spoken about stranger danger and I have reiterated that when they do walk alone they must walk together and come straight home.
I have anxiety and the thought of not knowing if they made it okay is filling me with dread but they are seeing their friends walk home and keep pestering me about trusting them.
I'd like to hear of others in this position and what you would do please.

OP posts:
NothingIsWrong · 01/06/2021 14:01

I am a similar distance from school and Y4 was when I started letting them walk on their own, so 9/10. School won't let them go home on their own until Y5 though.

NothingIsWrong · 01/06/2021 14:01

Sorry, they went TO school on their own in Y4, not home FROM school until a year later

UserAtRandom · 01/06/2021 14:02

9 (start of Year 5). It was 1.25 miles cycle ride though. With such a short walk I think 8 would be fine!

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Families
BillieSpain · 01/06/2021 14:02

DD was 10. (7 min walk) I was nervous too. Did halfway for a bit.

Your situation sounds fine to me.

HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime · 01/06/2021 14:05

Do they play out? Some of the children in Dds school play out from a fairly young age and walk on their own quite early.

DD started to walk home last year (Summer term year 5) and has walked home all of this year. She is still taken to school though, that way I know she's arrived safely and she enjoys walking with her Grandad anyway.

I'd say if they are walking together and no big roads that's fine. But there's a big difference between walking alongside a dual carriage way like some of the children at my school have to do to walking along a quiet residential street.

dannydyerismydad · 01/06/2021 14:08

DS is 10 next week. It's only a 10 minute walk to school but it involved 9 road crosses. I'm not comfortable yet. Especially as one of the crossings is by a roundabout, requiring you to look in about 6 directions at once.

Original poster
OceanVibes · 01/06/2021 14:09

Thank you, we live in a quiet area, they would have to cross 2 roads which are roads that lead to other houses, not main roads; so not much traffic at all.

I like to get opinions as sometimes my anxiety can take over and I really don't want to project that onto my children nor for them to suffer because of it.

They have played outside our home but have never been further than that.

OP posts:
CMOTDibbler · 01/06/2021 14:10

9 - ds went to a middle school, and the expectation was that they went to and from school by themselves from starting in yr5. We practiced crossing the road to there over the summer before he started

HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime · 01/06/2021 14:13

Why not let them try coming home from school this half term especially if youre home and know to expect them. The weather is bright and it's light out so not the same worries as in the dark winters.

LabiaMinoraPissusFlapus · 01/06/2021 14:15

Age 8 year 4, but we live on an estate and whilst there are some stupidly fast drivers at times, the roads are pretty safe. If they had to cross some of the bigger roads in our town, I would say age 10.

HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime · 01/06/2021 14:17

Or let the 10 year old leave 5 mins earlier and go alone but you walk with the 8 year old. 10s a nice round number for that to be a 'rite of passage'

Be in charge of a sibling Its quite a lot of responsibility for a 10 year old, I was often left with my younger brother when we were both 10+ and he was lovely and well behaved if my parents were about but if it was just me he'd be awful and not do anything I asked or would be purposefully silly with his friends.

iminthegarden · 01/06/2021 14:23

Not comfortable at all with 9 year old doing this. Think I'll probably wait until secondary

Ducksurprise · 01/06/2021 14:53

Y4, because the school wouldn't allow them to leave without an adult before that, it all depends on area (roads how busy etc) but around here about 1/3 kids start walking y4, then 1/3 in year 5 and the remainder by year six, apart from one or two each year that are not allowed to walk to school ever.

Parker231 · 01/06/2021 14:55

They went to and from school by Tube on their own from age 11. Walk to station, on Tube (no changes) and then walk to school.

IHeartKingThistle · 01/06/2021 14:56

Y5 with friends, 7 minute walk.

Zoladrama · 01/06/2021 14:56

7, think nearer 8 though. With friends not alone, 5 minute walk, no main roads.

TotorosCatBus · 01/06/2021 14:58

10 years old is usually old enough imo. With it being summer it's a good time to practice.
With regards to the 8yo it depends on what he's like and the journey home but it sounds like he'd be able to do it (unless there's a drip feed like a tricky crossing or poor lit road)
I would suggest allowing them to do it as a trial but say that if they don't follow the rule of waking home together then you'll revoke the privilege. Perhaps you could discuss some scenarios like what they should do if one of them falls over or what to do if they have a fight. Eg is it better if one runs home to fetch you?

IdoIdoIdoOoh · 01/06/2021 14:59

9 and in year 5 for us, he walks to school with us and home alone, 5 min walk and no roads to cross.
We started this because due to covid our school have changed start and end times for different year groups.

UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme · 01/06/2021 15:00

6 years old, but we live in Germany and the infrastructure is different! All children at mainstream walk either to school or to the bus stop and take the bus from the middle of their first week of school locally. There is no intrinsic reason they shouldn't IMO but it completely depends on the local infrastructure especially roads and crossings. Sadly so many people drive their children and oark dangerously around UK primary schools that they make it more dangerous for the other children to walk.

EversoDelighted · 01/06/2021 15:02

The oldest started going a few minutes ahead of me and the youngest in y3 (age 7/8), we would follow 5 mins behind, I could check he had arrived by looking for his scooter on the bike rack if they had gone in when we arrived (school had a 10 minute window when the doors were open rather than lining up). Just over a 5 min walk with one quiet cul-de-sac to cross.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 01/06/2021 15:03

The main reason my 8&9yos can't walk to/from school alone is parents parking dangerously on a side road.
I can see the school from my house.

EversoDelighted · 01/06/2021 15:04

I think I carried on walking in with my youngest till y5 though, she was a lot less confident.

RubyFakeLips · 01/06/2021 15:04

My eldest was in year 5, so probably 9/10, was with his cousin of same age and younger sibling would walk with them. Sibling would have been 7/8.

This was about a 15/20 minute walk, or can jump on the bus if it’s raining. We live in London.

I would hesitate at those ages with such a short walk. I would have expected they play out a bit and go that distance already though.

IsThisJustLife · 01/06/2021 15:05

My 10-year-old has just started walking to school alone (after Easter, year 5). She has a cheap Nokia to call and ask if they want to go to the park after school with friends and then be home by five. It's gone really well.

I think your 8-year-old could walk with your 10-year-old as long as they go together. Would they do that? How old would the 8-year-old then be when their sibling stops walking that way and goes to secondary? Mine is a younger sibling but with a bigger age gap so that didn't come up for them.

I was a bit worried about it at first but remembered that I walked to school on my own for a mile along a main road at the age of eight.

Natsku · 01/06/2021 15:06

Depends on the route for sure - traffic, roads to cross etc. and how sensible the children are. DD walked alone from 6, after the first week of school, because I had to go to work.