Would you leave Year 5 and Year 7 home alone after school?

[Jinglejinglejingle7]

Advice please. After a struggle following redundancy, myself & Dh are both getting new jobs. Ive had a job offer and dh looks like he's about to get an offer. Big change in circumstances as I'm going full time in office and dh will be hybrid, possibly 3 days in office. I may have some flexibility to finish early and wfh but I cant push that yet.
Problem is we have 2 dc, eldest year 7 youngest year 5. I think they are old enough to be left at home for an hour/ hour and a half. Eldest makes her own way home already, youngest gets picked up/ dropped off but its 15 minutes walk max and he's 10 now so could walk or eldest could collect. Dh worried that they're too young. I dont think we have a massive choice. Would u let 10 year old walk home, then stay with his sister for an hour or hour & half on they're own? They're sensible, get on well, we leave them now to run to shops/ walk dog etc.

Duplicate post

Congratulations on your jobs.
Yes, I would.
I have a Year 7 and a Year 5. The Year 7 often sees friends after school anyway, and so does the Year 5 to be honest. If not, they know not to use the oven, kettle, toaster, anything, and not to answer the door.

I wouldn’t leave them alone. At 10 and 8, maybe.

My Y7 DS travels to school every day by train and gets home about an hour before me.
My Y5 DS2 goes to after school club. DH and I top and tail the day by asking for flexible working hours to start and leave day or late.
I do leave them alone together for up to 15mins when collecting DH from the station. DS2 sometimes stays alone when we do a station run.
But after school both together I would t do as they'd wind each other up.

It's not about them not being able to, it's about reducing risk when they are alone. My 10yo can make a cup of tea, as well as scrambled egg, macaroni cheese etc. She is not allowed to use the hob or kettle whilst I'm out, just in case of an accident. It's very unlikely but I'm onmy ever gone for 30 mins, so she can wait.

My kids are same age and we leave them for up to two hours when necessary. They are fine

Yes my children definitely came home two afternoons a week at that age . The yr 5 home about 30 mins before siblings. He was fine probably enjoying having Xbox to himself and a chocolate bar.

Thanks all. Really mixed replies! Just to be clear school let's Year 5 & 6 leave on their own, so no issues there. We live in a small town. Im suprised that year 5s go to after school club, I dont think they have spaces for upper key stage 2 , I might ask.
I think they will be fine but actually suprised at responses so will talk it over again this DH.

No, I wouldn't. If they're sensible they would probably be fine as long as nothing went wrong, but they are not old enough to be expected to cope with an emergency alone.

How would you feel if the oldest wanted to do an afterschool club? Would the youngest be ok totally on their own?
If the answer is no, you need childcare, as its not fair to restrict the oldest.

Mine are y6 and 8 and I’d say yes but only just about

I think in the short term you need childcare for your youngest

Are there neighbours they could go to in an emergency? Our street is friendly and they could go to a number of houses in the event of an emergency

Year 7 and Year 5 are ages 12 and 10.

So it's two days a week?

I think it's doable from a safety point of view. I would be leaving them a list of reminders on the fridge - who do they call if there's a problem; is there someone who, in an emergency, could pop by; etc. And I'd be going over that with them quite carefully.

My DD's school lets children walk home at parental request; I don't know from what age because I suspect they are extra flexible for DD since she is right next door to school - but she's 8 and has done it. I would also leave her quite happily for an hour or so at home alone, but she knows exactly what to do and who she could call or go and find if she needed help, and it is the sort of village where I feel quite ok about that.

TBH the thing that would bother me more would be whether, if it's a regular thing, they felt a bit lonely. DD's school does after school club for all ages up to year 6 and she always thinks it's a great treat.

Yes I think i shoukd gave made that clear. I see someone said they would at 10 & 8.... thanks for helping nake that clear.

Agree with that.

My DD is quite small for her age; unless she has a massive growth spurt at age 10 she'd still be trying to lift a kettle on a normal-height workshop at a rather awkward angle, and a scald from a kettle is really nasty. I would quite happily leave her making something like scrambled egg on her own because it's just never that hot, but boiling water is something where I think I'd want to be in the house.

Yes I would as long as the Y7 was back at the same time or earlier than the Y5, otherwise I would put the Y5 in after-school club.

We have lower, middle and upper schools where I am. Children learn to walk home alone in the summer term of Year 4, ready to go to middle school in Year 5. We are village locations so the lower schools are walkable but they need to get on school transport to the middle schools as they serve various different villages. Year 5 children will walk to/from their allocated bus stop and be home alone just like any Year 7 might in a secondary school. I can't see how your Year 5 DC being home with an older sibling would be any different to the hundreds of Year 5 children in the middle schools here.

Neither will be interested in making tea so thats not an issue. I think the xbox ,& switch might get more use but not the kettle! I'll be working 15 minutes drive away. We'll have a talk. Youngest won't wabtvto gobtobafter school club as he will be the oldest there i think but he will go if thats what we decide.

No I wouldn’t. Mine are year 8 and year 5 and I wouldn’t leave them. The year 8 comes home on his own and is left until we get home, but the year 5 goes to after school club.

If you're 15 minutes away I think you're definitely fine!

Presumably they have access to a phone and can call you if there's a real emergency. I would absolutely do this, then.

Yeah eldest has a proper phone, youngest has one with Kinzoo on, but will be getting proper phone soon.

So you would leave at age 8 and 10 but not at age 9/10 and 11/12?

OP, I think it depends on the individual child rather than purely age. For some, Y5 and Y7 would be fine. For others, it wouldn’t.

If they are both sensible yes i would, only one term left and some days dad will be home. I’d consider breakfast club though as far harder to lock up in the morning

Yes and I did. Never had a single problem.