Would you let 8yo walk 0.3 miles part of school run on their own?

[SchoolRunQ]

I'm contemplating changing my work hours that will mean one day a week I won't be around for the school dropoff. We have two children that go to separate schools so DH and I usually take one each. There aren't any other parents that go from where we are to school to team up with.

So one day a week DH will be doing drop off for both and to minimise walking distance for the smallest one, planning to drop off DD age 8 (and a half!) on the pavement where she will have to walk 0.3 miles (about 6 mins) straight up that pavement then will arrive at the school. No crossing involved. We currently leave her further up that road anyway to walk the last few metres alone (there is a steady stream of kids and parents going the same way). She's bright and sensible but can be oblivious to surroundings so that's why I wanted to gauge opinion! It's a 20mph road with some traffic but never fast as there are traffic queues at the end of the road.

Don't know if I'm being overly precious even questioning this - she's my first child so not left them alone to walk anywhere before but might be good to start building a little bit of independence!

That's definitely what was said. If your inference skills are this shocking, maybe it's best your kid stays latched to you till 26. Don't forget to keep expressing breast milk. I hear it helps with development. They're only a child till 25!

Its not irresponsible to allow your child age appropriate freedom and responsibility, so long as you prepare them for it sufficiently. What would be irresponsible is not preparing your child and increasing freedom in small steps, and just letting them loose once they reach whatever age you feel comfortable with.

Your child's healthy development is more important than your irrational anxieties.

Healthy development? Or letting an 8 year old who is oblivious of her surroundings walk almost half a mile alone because you feel inconvenienced to drive her the rest of the way?

Almost a mile? It's 0.3 miles. That's a bit of a reach no? If we're rounding up this much, the OPs child may as well be 10.

Our school don't allow it until year 5

Read the thread. There's no such law. Your school policy doesn't trump the law. Social services would most likely do nothing.

‘Most likely’

I’m sorry but I would not act in any manner regarding my children where social services are only ‘most likely’ not going to intervene 😂😂😂😂

If a school has this policy, they will almost always speak to the parent first and give them a chance to explain. The majority of the time when parents make a decision to allow their kids to independently travel, they do so with a lot of care and attention, ensuring the child is confident and a risk assessment has been made. This may not look like a school one, but simply the parent going through various risks and teaching a child how to minimise them and deal with them if they arise. It actually takes a lot more time and planning than simply sticking them in the car for the rest of the way. Ironically, it is much lazier to wrap your kid up in cotton wool as you're just minimising the things you'll possibly have to teach your child and deal with. The parent benefits from this, not the child. It is selfish to put your worries and anxieties above your child's needs.
If a school, after having this conversation feel the child has not been well prepared or ready, or for whatever other reason they feel they need to contact social services, they will. Social services will first call the family, unless there's an immediate risk, where they will turn up at your door. An assessment will take place, it is not a full assessment unless there's clear evidence of safeguarding failings. The threshold for a full SS assessment is very high. Surprisingly high. It is likely a family support worker would contact said family anyway.
I think people on this thread have really got the wrong kind of idea of how well resources SS are. They don't waste their time on things like this. They'd worry more about a latchkey kid than one walking 6 mins home alone.

And just to add, most schools have this policy to ensure kids are left with an adult at home. The getting home alone isn't necessarily the problem. Kids being home alone for hours on end is.

The journey I referred to was a little older than aged 8, but the same principles apply.

DD was able to walk to the corner shop 200 yards away, no road to cross, on her own aged 8.

She could also play with friends in the park for short periods without adult supervision, although I would take her and then walk the dog around the park rather than hover in the playground.

Children are far more at risk from people they know than from random predators.

If that's your worry they are much much safer alone on a road than they are in your home, school , any other home, or anywhere with adults that they know.

I'm amazed people think its the schools business how my kids get to school or home or how they would know anyway.

From 8 to 11 I walked 2 miles to school every day, except when we were snowed in. Different days.

Explain again why breakfast club isn't an option?

I think it’s fine. My child walked to school
and back from age 9 and that involved crossing roads. Some of his friends walked from age 8.

because it doesn't work for them .

If your (universal your) NT 8 year old truly can't walk in a straight line on a known pavement with no crossings of any kind, you have gone really wrong somewhere.

Maybe I was lucky, but at the age of eight i was walking a half suburban mile to a tram stop with a couple of fellow pupils. We alighted in the centre of Edinburgh and walked about another half mile to the private school in the centre of town. Sometimes I did it on my own. No worries from anybody. Crossed several roads. Sometimes went home on my own. My widowed mother could not drive. Nobody mentioned paedophiles in 1946 or had often never heard of them. I was a, tall, sensible child wearing school uniform at all times. By ten I was exploring the toy section of a big department store near school or going alone to a funfair and catching the next tram home. At weekends my friends and I went off for hours to a local park with sandwiches or played in the suburban street or in one another's homes. Mothers took all this for granted.

Most schools won't allow it but you can check. The school I work at and my sons school do not allow children to walk to and from school alone before year 6

I haven’t had time to RTFT but if you have concerns about her arriving at school put an AirTag on her. I make my 10 year old wear one when he plays out. You can buy a watch strap to pop it in so it doesn’t look odd. Then you have the peace of mind of knowing she arrives.

Vast majority of 8 year olds can do this and do so round here. On the other hand there's no reason why your younger dc can't walk a few more minutes if that's the main reason for doing this rather than your older dc actually wanting to.

It’s not something I’d feel comfortable doing, I feel it’s a little bit too young.

The school I work in doesn’t allow children to walk home from school until year 5, our safeguarding officer would question as to why a child that young is walking alone. However that doesn’t mean your daughters school will, I’d just clarify it with her school so they’re aware and saves further headache also it means if she’s late or not there they know to contact you asap.

@shammalammadingdong

Well
It's just me and her dad at home so we don't plan to abduct her.

School can question it, but they can't stop it. The biggest safeguarding risk is whether the child is coming home to an empty home. Latchkey kids became a big problem in the 90s and 00s and more and more schools implemented this rule. This was mainly to ensure children had an adult home with them. WFH didn't exist and if a child was walking home alone, it's likely they were walking to an empty home. The actual journey is rarely a safeguarding risk.

You miss the point. Statistically she is far far more at risk in her home from her dad or any other males that come into your house than she is alone on the street.

The risk of abduction by a stranger, by the school, in the morning, is incredibly tiny. Vanishingly remote. The risk of abuse from your family and friends is depressingly high.

you need to understand what actual risk is or you are useless at protecting your child.