What age is reasonable for a child to be home alone after school?

[Fortheloveofpizza]

Another price increase email from after school today. As of next year I will only have one child left needing childcare thankfully.
I have always kept them in until P7 which is 11/12 . My youngest will be 8 next year and I will only need OSc one day for an hour. He’s a short walk home. What age do you think a child can let themselves in and be alone for an hour?
Appreciate not 8 but interested on what ages.

No, our primary school had no wraparound care provision unfortunately. It’s rarer in Ireland I think, though some schools do have it. There was a school bus available to some. The kids finished at 1.30pm aged 5 and 6 and 2.30pm for the next six years so parents had to make their own arrangements for care.

So on my street a 10 & 8 yr old walk independently home from school at least 1 day per week. The school is a 25 minute walk and involves crossing 2 very busy roads (with 1 pedestrian crossing and the other a traffic island in middle) this is as well as crossing a few more minor roads. I am amazed the school allow this as I as a parent wouldn't but they must do.

Bit dramatic. 8 years is too young in my opinion but nobody is getting locked up.

Summer of yr 6 when it’s light morning and night and to help them get used to the independence ahead of secondary

Yes, I've heard the occasional one allows year 5, but I think year 6 is more common, though according this thread some allow year 4, which I feel is a lil too young!

At that age they should be able to cross roads. If they can’t then that’s pretty bad (SEND aside).

But then we were walking to and from school alone from the age of about 10 and were home alone for several hours at a time.

My DD started walking to school at the beginning of year 5, and she’s a July baby so was just 9. She walked with all of her friends the same age, and we live in a village where there would be multiple adults who know them walking the same route at the same time. We all look out for each other’s kids

@BravasPatatas exactly. This is why I think walking to and especially from school is a really good place to develop independence. Lots of other YP and adults around, plenty of people to ask if there should be a concern.

I'm a bit puzzled by a number of PPs stating that no school will allow DC to leave alone until year 6; maybe you mean your school? I have already said that my DCs' junior school allowed the children to leave without seeing their adult from year 3 in fact (tho I don't know if many did walk home alone). Other schools I know have different policies. There's no UK-wide or even England-wide rule.

It’s Year 4 here. They also go to the park and to the shops totally unaccompanied by an adult.

I suppose both parents can’t work at the same time then unless very flexible employment or have family or friends/childminders who can help, Ireland does apparently have a rapidly declining birth rate and isn’t a cheap place to live so perhaps understandable

I find that a bit mental! My son is year 4 (though July baby, so still 8) and as I said I will let him stay home for a bit on his own now, but the idea of any of his classmates free roaming seems wrong (I have helped on school trips walking through town etc with them and as a year group I would not say they are ready)

Me personally mine were/are with the childminder until the Sept they go to secondary school but we live in a city albeit on the outskirts

depends on the child too some are more sensible than others

I do feel tho that as a separate issue ASC prices seem to have really increased - more so than childminders and I think that needs addressing at government level.

They want us all out working but 2-3 kids in wraparound for the week is a huge amount of money and that probably needs addressing.

Our primary used to do this In-house and it wasn’t too bad, however now it’s an external provider and it’s quite a lot more money.

Lots of the parents complained about this, but the school said the prices were fixed by the provider but I would never put cost over a child’s safety.

Actually, research has shown that children don’t all reliably develop the perceptual judgment and motor skills needed to cross busy roads until age 14.
now.uiowa.edu/news/2017/04/why-children-struggle-cross-busy-streets-safely

This is why children should be taught to only cross roads when cars have come to a complete stop, as they can't judge speeds and if a car is really slowing down or not.

As it happens, everyone in my house apart from my 8 year old is working this week so he has to be at home by himself but our neighbours are home and have their grandson with them so he will likely spend most of his time with them. But he is insisting on going home at lunchtime to sort out his own lunch because the concept excites him and makes him feel grown up.

Ours was eight, which is old for where we live as most children would be home alone for a bit when they hit compulsory school age. Its also fairly unusual for children to be walked to/from school by an adult once they hit compulsory schooling at six.

I guess it’s partially area dependent - we’re a small rural town where everything is in about a mile or everything else.

Which is why you teach them to cross at crossings.

I’m UK and our primary school allowed them to walk to and from school alone from Year 4 with parent consent. I felt that was too young and unnecessary as we would be home anyway or they’d go to after school club because we were working. So mine were year 5 before they started walking to school with friends, year 6 alone.
Year 6 before leaving alone in the house.

I suppose some areas are less risky than others, the school road for us leads down to quite a busy through road, the down another is the high street, probably why ours is yr 6 only.
Even so, despite the fact I am on the side of kids need a bit independence and risk to learn and grow...I think yr 4 would be a step too far for me.
But that's for each child and their parents to judge their circumstances I suppose as they don't have to take the school up on it. 🤷🏽‍♀️

Crossings are only available on some roads.

I don’t necessarily mean crossings with lights, I mean crossing points with dropped kerbs where you can stop and wait sensibly.

But surely the fact that many children manage it fine from year 4 shows that it’s not actually too young?

You may not want your child to do it; which is fine, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to it being unsafe or wrong.

I remember growing up in a fairly busy down and wandering all over with friends from a similar age and this was only in the late nineties - it makes me sad sometimes when I see how much things have changed for kids since then.

Depends if they're just turned 8 or nearly 9. 8 year olds walk home by themselves where I live. I definitely started leaving ds by himself for short periods from about this age.

I've worked kids for 20+ years, so have met many, many 8 & 9 yr olds.
Kids "manage" many things they shouldn't have to if they are put in that position, they doesn't automatically mean they should have to. There was recently a 9 yr old I believe, in the papers for living alone and getting himself to school. Amazing on one level, utterly tragic on another.
Often the parents who make that choice will do it cos they have no other option, not because it's the "best" choice.

Either way, I am not one to judge other parents based on a theoretical decision. Its up to them to weigh up, their child who they know, the area they live and the risks.But personally, based on the kids I have known and worked with, there are very very few in this modern day world who are ready to roam freely and responsibly.at 8/9.

Very few in your area perhaps. In my country where children are raised to be independent at a younger age, they are ready at a younger age (generally, obviously there are outliers), most are going to school and local places like corner shops and playgrounds by 7 years old and by 9 at the latest home alone before and after school depending on parents work hours.