Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

When did it become The School Run

29 replies

LordOfTheFlies · 12/05/2011 23:23

Just been reading the post about letting a child walk to school.We're in the process of making letting DS 11yo walk out alone.Since Reception its been take DCs in and stand while they go in, then not released until they see a parent/guardian there, up to end of Yr 3.
Its not a flame on the S/Run mums who drive everyday (although they make the roads round the school hazardous as the double park/yellow line park/zigzag park/ hurtle down very narrow road like Lewis Flippin' Hamilton)
When I was at school -many years ago- we got ourselves there and back.When did it change? Is this the price we pay for child safety?

OP posts:

NotaMopsa · 12/05/2011 23:27

i agree

my eldest child is at university now but when he was at primary school - children walked - mostly from year 4 but the odd few from year 3

Now parents of year 6 ers are there day in day out. I cannot think that is progress. Kids should be having fun , learning about road safety and gaining general life skills- all involved in the walk to and from school.

SarahStratton · 12/05/2011 23:30

YABU not everyone lives close enough to the school to walk. I had to do a round trip of over 100 miles every day to get the DDs to school as there were no buses that ran at the right time. I'm lucky, they have changed the bus timetables and they can now get a bus, but if they hadn't, I would still be one of those mums you moan about.

I have never lived close enough to their schools for them to be able to walk.

Hardhatonamission · 12/05/2011 23:33

I didn't walk until Year 5 due to the distance. My DC will not walk until secondary school as the school run involves crossing three busy main roads that have no suitable crossings and going over a footbridge that crosses an A road.

I will do anything to protect my children and if that means walking them to school every day and risk being called over protective, then thats a cross i'm happy to bear.

hmc · 12/05/2011 23:34

There is no way on God's earth my children are going to ever cross the A36 major trunk road (50mph outside my house and on a bend with restricted visibility - frequently by commuters and juggernauts) at any point. Shit - even I don't cross that road, except by car. If I lived away from this location on a road with pavements (quite a few roads around here don't have pavements - rural location) I would have no problem with it however...

Perhaps more children in surburbia could walk though? - I don't know their specific circumstances [shrugs]

Original poster

LordOfTheFlies · 12/05/2011 23:39

SarahStatton I'm not slating those who drive their kids because of distance. I know there are a few pupils in our school who because of distance/route cannot walk or use public transport. Mine get a lift on my working days (school clubs) but if not we have a 25 minute walk.
Its just now DS has got used to being escorted ( also taking DD)

OP posts:

PaWithABra · 12/05/2011 23:40

my boy has been going since age 8 but gets picked up still (age 9). the school only release them on their own in year 6 apparantly.

i used to go on my own from infants and come home for lunch .

Not sure when it changed, there was some years between my schooling and my kids

Original poster

LordOfTheFlies · 12/05/2011 23:43

BTW DS will also have to cross a busy road A12 to go to secondary.
When did it start that schools insisted we escort our patients in and out -as in they don't let the child go until they see the adult?

OP posts:

hmc · 12/05/2011 23:45

Some friends who have Year 5 children who could walk themselves to school (live 10 minutes away and not busy roads) but dont allow it, have explained that they have observed other year 5 children act like lemmings, getting distracted and crossing the road somewhat unjudiciously!

meditrina · 12/05/2011 23:48

I'm watching a programme on BBC2 at the moment: talking about the development and marketing of the Mini - it said that in the 1950s (when UK population was a fair bit smaller) only 1 in 5 families had a car.

I walked with my DCs pretty much all the way through primary school, though I walked by myself from the second week of what is now year 3. The difference is the traffic - not just those who drive to the school, more the sheer increase all the time.

LoveLeonardCohen · 12/05/2011 23:58

I went to primary in the early 80s. I remember walking to school by myself from about age 8, it was quite a long walk too in West London. I think we all are hyper vigilant these days.

Morloth · 13/05/2011 02:23

Kindy kids (so 5 years) walk alone to/from school where I am, but only those who are super close. If we didn't have to cross a major highway then DS1 would be.

We are looking for a house on the otherside of said highway for just this reason.

I think there is actually a swing back to normality happening now, thank goodness. Kids need freedom and to rely on their wits a bit or they are going to be screwed. Walking to/from school is good for them.

It is funny to me that I am the 'uptight' one here in Oz because I was quite negligent by UK standards.

TheBride · 13/05/2011 02:39

Remember that before the current school application process, schools were based on catchment areas, so more children live close to the school they attend. Now a child who lives next door to School A could end up going to School B, 4 miles away and across the M25

piprabbit · 13/05/2011 02:39

I do The School Run. Mostly it involves walking with perhaps a buggy, scooter or trike in tow. Sometimes it involves the car so we can make a quick get away to an appointment. However, it is always known as The School Run and probably will be until both children make it up to Y6 (just another 8 years to go then) when they may be able to travel alone.

I walked myself to school from the age of 7. I took daft risks, misled my mum about the route I took home etc. At the end of term I would leave school unable to carry all the junk precious work and would end up sobbing all the way home. I'm not sure I was really mature enough at that age.
By the time I went to junior school, we were travelling unaccompanied by bus so the real bullying could kick in.

Notanexcitingname · 13/05/2011 06:47

I don't know when it changed, but I was walking half a mile accompanied by older friends (a group aged up to 10) from 6. We were met by the only SAHM from the group to cross the big roads.

Spare a thought for my DH who cycled to school along the A1 . Not sure from what age, though, probably secondary.

I shall certainly be encouraging the DSs from year 5, although around here year 6 is the norm.

discobeaver · 13/05/2011 06:50

I think schol buses like they have in America would be great - am always jealous when I see parents in films just wave their kid off at the door!

mitochondria · 13/05/2011 07:06

Mine will walk when they're a bit older - village school, only 5 minutes away - but there is one fairly busy road with no crossing point. I may see them across that one first - oddly enough it's the mothers dropping off in their big cars that whizz along it at inappropriate speeds in the morning.

Goblinchild · 13/05/2011 07:13

Mine walked to their primary from Y5, it was a reasonably safe run, one road to cross and a lot of other children and parents walking at the same time.
They were used to walking with adults and had been taught road safety from being very small.
I agree that it depends entirely on where you live and the parents' risk assessment. It just doesn't make sense to have one rule for all.

Goblinchild · 13/05/2011 07:14

It is parents in cars on the school run that cause the majority of the problems for the children at my school. Parking on zig-zags, arguing instead of looking where they are going.

9876543210 · 13/05/2011 07:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

funkybuddah · 13/05/2011 07:33

Instead of going to the local primary I went to onee on the opposiite side of town, frrom year 4 I got the bus to and from on my own.

Ds (yr4) walks home most days. I always walk him to school but that's nothing to do with his saftey but me wanting to catch up with my mates lol

I do think many more kids couuld walk and stricter catchment areas reintroduced

SardineQueen · 13/05/2011 07:42

Things have changed a lot is why it has changed. 30 years ago many/most women with young children didn't work, so walking children to school was easy. Now most mothers work and so dropping off on the way to the station/work has become more usual.

Plus of course 30 years ago not nearly as many people even had cars.

Also now that the school results are released and we have this insane competition for school places, it means in quite a lot of areas children do not all simply go to one of their nearest schools. They are going to schools further away which are "better". That pushes other children into even further away schools and so on.

Also (and again speaking of my area where things are particularly bad) many schools put religious attendance over siblings. So lots of parents for various reasons end up with one child at one school and the other child in the opposite direction. That's another reason people drive.

Plus of course it is true that people are not as prepared to walk as they used to be.

My point is though that it's not all down to parental laziness - for every person who is able to walk there is another who is driving out of necessity.

thefirstMrsDeVere · 13/05/2011 07:47

My local school is rammed with cars every morning.

There is NO way kids travel from miles around to go to that school. Everyone lives within a 10 minute walk.
Lots of the parents dont work so they are not dropping off on the way to school.
My next door neighbour often drives her kids to school. It takes longer to drive than to walk.

But I will admit I have driven my kids stupidly short distances at times. When I am first pg and feel like death, when I am hugely pg and when I have periods of depression and I cannot face the world.

So I suppose I am a fine one to talk

ivykaty44 · 13/05/2011 07:50

I have a neighbour who used to drive her dc to school, the school is less than 1/4 of a mile, when she had safely seen the dc into school she drove home again. This wasn't rare in the area, I know see a lot of neighbours also driving thier dc to the other local school which is 1/2 a mile away and then they drive home again. In the afternoon they reverse the trip in the car, I think they are very useful for the economy as they use petrol and pay tax and this is a bonus in this climate.

Just because I can't afford to pay all the tax on petrol doesn't mean that other parents shouldn't use petrol in this way

Goblinchild · 13/05/2011 07:58

I've always thought that 'the obesity epidemic' is helped by the fat that parents want their children to be active, but are unwilling to lead by example. Which is one of the reasons many want after-school clubs to be active, and schools to put in a lot of PE.
Instead of them walking a mile a day at a brisk pace with their children.

SardineQueen · 13/05/2011 08:13

I thought people liked after school clubs because of working?

Maybe it varies between areas, around here most parents work.

We also have more children than school places so it is usual for children to be allocated schools miles away / different schools to siblings.

It is all a bit of a logistic nightmare

Flip

1 2