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Original poster

What age did your child walk home from school alone?

93 replies

HelloGoodbye92 · 03/09/2023 18:46

This is the cause of a bit of debate in our house. The school is a 7 minute walk away.

what age did you let your child make their own way home from school?

OP posts:
Original poster
HelloGoodbye92 · 03/09/2023 19:36

I’ll add- the club only runs until the October break so we should be able to avoid the darker nights.

OP posts:
RedHelenB · 03/09/2023 19:36

HelloGoodbye92 · 03/09/2023 18:46

This is the cause of a bit of debate in our house. The school is a 7 minute walk away.

what age did you let your child make their own way home from school?

About 8, spring of Y3. Walk was about 5 minutes and there was a lollipop lady

Simonjt · 03/09/2023 19:36

Our eight year old walks to and from school on his own, its about a ten minute walk. Where we are its normal for children younger than him to walk to and from school alone. P

YouCantBeSadHoldingACupcake · 03/09/2023 19:37

Year 5, so 9, almost 10. 12 minutes walk with no busy roads. This was during covid so the school asked that year 5s transport themselves to school and back where possible. My older dc were in year 6 before they walked themselves.

AvengedQuince · 03/09/2023 19:39

I met/left him halfway at age 8/9 so he was only walking 10-15 minutes along the road the school was on then some quiet streets before a riskier road crossing. At 9 and a half he moved schools and was taking the school bus only two minutes walk away.

LindorDoubleChoc · 03/09/2023 19:42

I live within sight of my kids' primary school so I saw them over the road and let them go from age about 8 or 9. Prob over cautious.

Autumnisnearlyhere · 03/09/2023 19:42

See I’m in the minority here. DS is just starting Y5, no-one else lives nearby and it takes 30 minutes walk. At least 5 roads to cross, one being a busy one with no pedestrian crossing. He has absolutely no road sense , he’s desperate to walk on his own but doesn’t look/listen when crossing the road and hasn’t got friends nearby. He’s 9. I’m really struggling with the thought of letting him go, it seems too dangerous to me?

Thighdentitycrisis · 03/09/2023 19:48

In London it’s usually Year 6 (after Easter in my case). Possibly before that with a friend

my82my · 03/09/2023 19:50

Year 6, 20 minute walk but he was with a friend who lived on the same road. If alone I'd wait at the end of the street the school was on. Year 7 was a 10 minute walk, mainly with friends.

luter · 03/09/2023 19:55

He started to walk back alone at the end of Y4, just a couple of times a week. By Y5 he took himself to and from school. We are only a few minutes away.

YetMoreNewBeginnings · 03/09/2023 19:58

It totally depends on the child and the walk.
DD3 has walked to and from school from age 7, but the school gate is closer to our front door than the end of the garden is to the back door!

DD2 is in her 20s and she’s so absent minded and easily sidetracked I still worry about her now.

Schools don’t have the authority to decide what age your child walks to and from school btw. They just rely on parents not challenging their policies (in 20 years or working in schools only once has a school not backed down when a parent has stated they wanted their child to walk alone regardless of the schools wishes).

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 03/09/2023 20:01

Our Primary allow it from year 5 (so o turning 10), with a signed permission slip. We didn't start until after the Easter Holidays in Y5 as it gets dark early here from about October.

MidgesGirdle · 03/09/2023 20:04

I wfh so my year 5 child will be walking home every day now.

menopausalmare · 03/09/2023 20:05

Easter of year 6 for my son, start of year 5 for my daughter. It's a 15 minute walk with lots of parents to walk with. She'd had enough of after school club.

Mythicalcreatures · 03/09/2023 20:06

Age 8, he went to a cm throughout primary so didn't get a chance to but when he was 8, I was off work for a month or so, so he didn't go the cm, it was really good for him and he probably could have done it a year or so earlier.

Shinytaps · 03/09/2023 20:10

We live in Scotland so years are different but P4 (age 7/8). Walk is the same amount of time but we are in the suburbs of a major city and the roads aren't too busy.

CyberCritical · 03/09/2023 20:14

School don't slow it till after the kids turn 10, then you have to fill out a form giving permission.

As per the map attached, school entrance is visible from my driveway, just across a very small and quiet road, so I and DD would be happy for her to walk herself. 9 more months then she can do it.

What age did your child walk home from school alone?
YetMoreNewBeginnings · 03/09/2023 20:16

CyberCritical · 03/09/2023 20:14

School don't slow it till after the kids turn 10, then you have to fill out a form giving permission.

As per the map attached, school entrance is visible from my driveway, just across a very small and quiet road, so I and DD would be happy for her to walk herself. 9 more months then she can do it.

You do realise they don’t actually have the right to decide - it’s a parental decision

AvengedQuince · 03/09/2023 20:19

Autumnisnearlyhere · 03/09/2023 19:42

See I’m in the minority here. DS is just starting Y5, no-one else lives nearby and it takes 30 minutes walk. At least 5 roads to cross, one being a busy one with no pedestrian crossing. He has absolutely no road sense , he’s desperate to walk on his own but doesn’t look/listen when crossing the road and hasn’t got friends nearby. He’s 9. I’m really struggling with the thought of letting him go, it seems too dangerous to me?

Where is the busy road, can you see him across that? We had a back street that cars raced along with a corner they could come around near where we needed to cross, so a listen, look, go immediately scenario. I saw DS walk across that road then the rest was quiet streets/crossing side streets only.

Treepigeon · 03/09/2023 20:33

Half way through year 4. So aged 8. School is 5 mins at most and has 2 road crossings but quiet roads. Started with letting him walk home then added in going to school.

sunshineandshowers40 · 03/09/2023 20:40

My youngest started walking to school alone in Y5, I had to pick him up as they don't allow Y5 to walk home without an adult

MasterCherry · 03/09/2023 21:04

Y5, aged 9.5. A 5-10 min walk in the centre of a small city; one major road with a pelican crossing. We moved in, DD memorised the route to her new school, and at the end of the first week she sacked us from taking her and picking her up 😂

Thriwit · 03/09/2023 21:16

Year 4 (8 years old). School is about a 5-minute walk, one road crossing. I just had to write a note saying I was happy for DD to go home by herself.

Original poster
HelloGoodbye92 · 03/09/2023 21:58

Autumnisnearlyhere · 03/09/2023 19:42

See I’m in the minority here. DS is just starting Y5, no-one else lives nearby and it takes 30 minutes walk. At least 5 roads to cross, one being a busy one with no pedestrian crossing. He has absolutely no road sense , he’s desperate to walk on his own but doesn’t look/listen when crossing the road and hasn’t got friends nearby. He’s 9. I’m really struggling with the thought of letting him go, it seems too dangerous to me?

My husband did a dry run with DS today. Followed him up to the school and back but kept a good distance away to see how he was at road etc to try and calm my nerves. Our school is only a 7/8 minute walk right enough. I’m like yourself, very anxious about it all.

OP posts:
elliejjtiny · 03/09/2023 22:06

Dc2 was 13 (year 9). None of my others have done it yet (aged 17, 12, 10 and 9). Primary school is 1.5 miles, secondary is 2 miles and college is 6 miles and they all have SEN. 12 year old has been walking 10 minutes to meet dh at a more convenient place to park for a year but half the time he doesn't turn up and dh has to go looking for him.