To wonder if you take your primary aged DCs to school and pick them up?

[Sunnydayinapril]

First of all no one is being criticised

Looking into work that might be able to allow me in the future to do this (not an issue at the moment.)

My parents never did as they always worked. It didn't bother me.

But I think I'd like to pick my children up.

Do you, and if not who does?

Headofthehive - I agree - we were always taught that under 10s can't judge the distance and speed of an oncoming car, so that you should factor that in with crossing roads, allowing them out and about on their bike etc.

BUT my kids don't need to cross a road. And there is a pelican crossing right outside the school, so in fact many kids could walk a long way without needed to cross a road.
Also, I have taught my kids to cross our road, which is quiet, and a dead end. The rule is that you must wait until there is NO traffic. Then you don't have to judge anything. They are good at this and understand it.

The group of children who have the most accidents are not primary aged, they are first and second year secondary, and it is because they are so poor and crossing roads etc. There were quite a number of kids in ds class who went from being driven/walked to school, to walking on their own to secondary, with just the summer holidays in between. To my mind it doesn't give them enough time to learn.

Either myself or DH do the school run. We have our own businesses so can be flexible. The school bus doesn't come near our home and DS is too young (6) to make his way on his own.

When I was little, my DM worked but her hours meant she still did drop offs and pick ups.

I do, but he's only 6, I work from home so it's not a chore. I would be still wary later on because traffic is crazy around the junior school site and only last week a child was knocked down.

I walked from the time I got to senior school second year, before that we lived in a village 5 miles away so no choice. We also had to drop off late junior school siblings.

The Primary school I'm a governor at, has just decided to adopt the same policy as most of the other schools in the borough, which does not allow children below year 5 to walk to and from school alone.

I say does not 'allow', but what that means is the school will not release those children, unless to an adult or older (senior school) sibling and if they find out children are coming to school alone, a letter will be sent to those parents.

If the parents to continue to flout the policy, a risk assessment will be done and the parents reported to SS, if the CPO feels the child is being put in danger/isn't capable of doing the journey alone.

It's become pretty standard in this borough.

Sounds like the same policy as StillRabbit's school.

When they get written permission, the school carries out a risk assessment.

Two days a week I work short days which enables me to do this. The rest of the time they are in wraparound care ( I drop off, DH collects)

My 9 year old is starting to want his freedom now so he walks alone with his friend on a Wednesday and I follow on with my youngest and his friend in the car as I'm en route to work. I also let him walk alone on a Thursday and double check when I get there that he's arrived.

To me, its important to be able to do this if possible. Its a chance to have a word with a teacher if necessary, to hand in forms to the office, to briefly acknowledge any other parents, and also if either of my DCs want a friend round, then we can sort it out there and then.

Yes I am a SAHM. I do 9 drop offs/picks my DH finishes early on a Friday and does the pick up. It is important to me to do that. I take my older one to secondary and pick up also as there is no direct bus.

Where we live everyone who lives within walking distance (which is most of the children) walks to school without parents from Year 5 onwards. I think it's a bit young for the summer borns personally. Having said that, my dcs have only one main road to cross and there is a lollipop lady and a pedestrian crossing a little further along for the odd day she isn't there.

We used to live somewhere else when dc1 was that age and was happy to let him walk home from the summer term of year 5. There were children who lived nearer that school who walked home from year 4 - it was set on a quiet estate and they had no big roads to cross.

I was always around to do school runs when they were smaller. It's handy to be there at least occasionally I think but obviously not possible for everyone.

The kids being driven to school thing is of course a vicious circle - it's only dangerous traffic wise around school specifically because so many selfish idiots drive their kids (that and the fact children don't automatically go to the nearest primary by default any more).

Another thing that's harder to fix thing that's hard to fix now it's broken.

At my DD's school they will only release them without a named adult collecting them in Year 6, and then only with written permission from the parent.

They can't control how children get to school, but obviously encourage parents to drop them off.

We live too far for DS to walk from our house to school. On the days I work he leaves from his granny's house which is 5 minutes walk but crosses a busy road with no patrol. He has done this alone since P5 (age 10). He's now P7.

Either dh or I picks them up and drops them off every day. We both work but I work from home so can nip out and get them. We use the before/after school club very occasionally - maybe twice a year. I was keen to drop/pick up if I could find a way and I managed to change my job accordingly.

They are allowed by the school to make their own way from year 5. But the route is quite dangerous road wise and also because we have some middle of the day drunks who can be abusive coming the same way as us, I still collect mine from the gate.

I think it depends on various factors, including distance to the school, how well pedestrianised the route is (adequate pavements, pedestrian crossings etc), and just as importantly, the age and maturity of the child, including their own confidence level about walking alone, and how well versed they are in re stranger danger, the green cross code etc.

I think about age 8 is right for my DCs as we are only a short walk from school. That's about the same age as a lot of DCs at my local school walk alone.

Mine go on a school bus (parents take a week's chaperone duty a year). They've all gone on from 4 yrs old. Someone (me, childminder,siblings when old enough) meet the bus-which means I can leave work an hour later than normal pick up so make up my flexi.

at school policies to involve social services for potentially 9 year old kids walking to and from school without a parent - presumably these schools are in the middle of motorways or war zones or seriously dodgy areas?

I am somewhat confused by all these children walking themselves home. Children are physically perceptually unable to judge distances of cars until age 10 or 11.

Not letting children walk alone before secondary school tends to just defer the risk until then. Children can learn to cross safely before then - I always make DD check for traffic at all roads when we are walking or cycling and I can see that she is good at checking and when she's in doubt she waits until there are no cars or a car has stopped and waved her over. She's 5 now so by 7 (start of primary school here) she'll be ready to go by herself - I checked the stats and only 20% of parents of primary school children pick up/drop off, the vast majority travel by themselves or with other children.

Children are physically perceptually unable to judge distances of cars until age 10 or 11.

Assuming that is true (evidence?), even if they are taught to cross a quiet road when no cars are coming, or don't have to cross roads, they still can't walk by themselves?

Dds (9 and 10) catch a bus and have done since yr1 - I put them on the bus, and it stops outside school gate. Teacher puts them on buss the other end and I meet them. Ds (nearly 6) I take in and pick up (different school) he is disabled so will need to be taken in for a while yet.

Always people always trot that out (without any evidence) but even assuming it is true what about all the kids whose route to school does not involve crossing roads or only crosses lollypop staffed or ppelican crossings with a button to press and a "green man"?

Lweji, you are right about evidence. Just googling this now and will post anything I find. I am pretty sure I learnt this on some training I did (I work with children). But agree with others that it very much depends on individual characteristics, route involved etc etc. .

We live very close to the school, in a village. I only have one left at primary, in year 5. He goes to and fro by himself.

He loves the freedom it gives him.

OP if your kids aren't yet this age how can you judge whether or not it is appropriate for a given child? Our school starts being flexible in year 4.

I started letting mine come home by themselves after certain after-school clubs. The only traffic in the area is at school run time, so it was a gentle way to start learning.

Children need to learn freedom gradually and gently, so that when they start going to secondary on their own they can look after themselves.

At our primary the parents eevening before children start school includes at talk from the community police man during which he asks parents toppractice the route to school with children over the summer and not to accompany them after the first week.He also makes I clear that driving children to school is reckless,irreirresponsible and selfish because it puts all the children walking in small groups as they are meant to at increased risk from traffic around the school and parking near the school also makes the road much more dangerous. Parents are expected to join a rota to staff crossings once a fortnight or more if they can though.

The community police officer always emphasises that you get the occasional child walked to school all through primary, and if a young secondary age child is knocked over it will almost inevitably be one of those children.

The police run a long road safety course for 5-6 year olds in the lädtyear of kindergarten as well as expecting parents to practice the route with them.

This doesn't fully answer the question but is still food for thought. From 2010.
www.roadsafetygb.org.uk/news/1334.html

We live too far away from school for DS to walk to school on his own until he's about 11. It's not a million miles away and it is a walking distance but it's a bit too far for a child younger than 11 to walk. In my opinion anyway.