to ask you should a year 5 child walk 1 1/2 miles to school? more wwyd

[medic78]

Ds currently gets a bus to school but it is proving expensive. Would you let your year 5 child walk to school with a couple of friends.
Thank you

Not at 5. No chance.

What is the route like? Is he sensible and more importantly, are his friend?

With an adult yes. On their own no way.

how old at year 5?

Oh sorry year 5. Depends in maturity etc. We've only just let DC walk to school in yr 5 but it's across the road.

Her friend walks jersey to and from school and it's a little under a mile.

Year 5 is 9/10?

Hmm would depend how sensible they are, are there decent pavements, roads to cross etc.

Year 5? So about 10 years old right? I think it depends on the child and the kids he'd be walking with

10/11? fine as long as the route is safe enough for him

Year 5 is 9-10 isn't it? If he's sensible and hasn't got to cross major roads I would think that's ok if he's with his friends.

Sorry FROM school (so I know she gets home) I've had some wines. Actually that's a lie, I've had a sip but I've been up since 4 with mad DCs who think I'm a jungle gym.

dd walks that far a couple of times a week at 5 (but with an adult obviously ). y5 I guess it depends where you are/ if there are busy roads to cross/ what the child is like etc....

I would actually be happier if they were on their own in some ways than with friends. But it depends on the dynamic.

But is she already getting the bus? Is it alone, or a school bus?

I think its not somewhere I'd economise personally, if I could avoid it. The thing is, you wouldn't know necessarily if she'd arrived or not, or not fast.

In terms of would I be happy for them to do that distance. Yes absolutely. All mine do that regularly, youngest is 6, oldest 10.

9/10

Yr 6 is 10/11

Mine walked to from school unacc at that age, small village, mostly pavement

But they were non-giddy kids, not all that age are

Not quite yet I think, unless there's no, or very quiet, roads en route.

All of course depending on the individual childs maturity and whether you could trust them to behave safely.

And not until I had secretly tailed them a few times.

I wouldn't.

distance is fine but what about road crossing? They really aren't mature enough to judge it and MUST use pedestrian crossings.

Its a school bus. They are dropped off in school grounds and bus stop is close to our house.

Thank you for replies.

I don't think it makes any difference whether other posters would allow it or not.

It totally depends upon the child and the area imo.

If this was my DS2, I would have no problem at all. If it was my DS1 or DS3, not a chance in hell as they weren't road wise enough...despite DH and I desperately trying to get them to be.

I might, but it would depend a lot on the route taken, how safe it was with crossing roads etc. if it was a safe route, and he was with friends, i wouldn't mind.

Yes, but dd1 and dd2 walked together when they were year 5 and 3, further than that.

Yes, I'd let mine. The only reason mine don't is because I work at the school and I have to get their younger brother. My eldest walked home on his own from y5. It's 1.5 miles, a few side roads to cross and a main road with a crossing.

My year 5 child, no, because he just can't seem to grasp that you have to look both ways before crossing the road, plus he'd get distracted by something and be hours late for school every day, most of his friends could probably manage it though.

Depends on a few things:

1. General maturity of the child and friends they would be walking home with.
2. How dangerous the terrain was. I used to do this at the same age, but in a village with no really busy roads.

It's not unreasonable IMHO - I think there is a general tendency to over coddle kids. The number of year 6 kids at my sons school who get chauffeured to school over stupidly small distances amazes me......

My DS started walking to and from school from the start of year 5 but it's only 5 mins away with no busy road crossings in a village.