7 year old walking home from school alone

[friendshipstruggle]

In a nice area, the school is within the housing estate with 1 small road to cross. The 7 year old is sensible, in Y3, but only just turned 7. Is it unreasonable to allow him to walk home with no adult? The parents around here have wildly opposing views on this and I'm interested to hear a wider opinion.

She said if the parent gave permission and there were no other concerns they would not take it any further.

Exactly. Which makes the assertion of schools who are saying they "won't allow it" unnecessary interference, rather than acting within their remit.

No, we do not agree with children's services on this one.

And as safeguarding children is everyone's business we are entitled to disagree.

Anyhow, still looking forward to reading about examples of schools stepping into the roles of other professionals.

That's a bizarre notion, that Finland is somehow less risky than the UK! What an extraordinary idea, that they don't have roads/traffic like here, etc. Just shows how some people can't appraise risk realistically at all.

Absolutely not. Age 10 at the earliest. And for those who asked, my older two weren't left alone at all, even for me to go to the post box, until they were 10, younger one was left with older ones at 9. No playing out, no going to the shops, no being left while I popped out. And they are some of the most independent children that I know!! My concern with walking home would be traffic, not kidnap, parents drive ridiculously fast and only care that their precious snowflake doesn't have to walk for a second- they don't give a shit about anyone else's kids!

I remember being around 10 and walking to school alone and some complete weirdo on a milk float offering me a lift. I was walking faster than the float, and was one corner away from seeing the school at the end of the road. Really creeped me out.

I think that the risk might possibly be less in Finland purely because it is the cultural norm. So children would see appropriate behaviour modelled by older children, parents would see appropriate rules being made by other parents, drivers would expect to see young children crossing roads, passers-by wouldn't assume that a parent was around the corner etc. I suspect that in a society where children have more freedom to roam that everyone behaves in very slightly different ways.

At our school, children can walk home on their own from P.4 (age7-8) onwards if have have written permission from parents. A few do wALK IF THEY LIVE VERY CLOSE TO SCHOOL, BUT MOST WAIT UNTIL P.5 WHEN ITS MUCH MORE COMMON FOR THEM TO WALK. SORRY FOR CAPITALS!

I would really worry about the road crossing - I read this article (regarding brain development and judgement of speed of traffic) when it first came out and I didn't let DS1 walk home alone until 10. Also IMO kids judgement and reasoning of other dangerous situations isn't and can't be expected to be mature enough to cope at 7, no matter how brilliant they are, if something/someone untoward or risky happened.

www.roadsafetygb.org.uk/news/1334.html

still looking forward to reading about examples of schools stepping into the roles of other professionals.

I posted them upthread.

So you did - I'll admit I glanced at that post and it was so long I couldn't be bothered to read it. But I've read it now, and I can't actually imagine any agency stepping in to do any of the things you said the schools did.

I also can't imagine any HT spending 2-3 hours talking to parents in the morning. That is definitely an unusual one.

With regard to vans targeting kids etc, every week there's another scare take about a van approaching kids near us. The police had to put a statement out eventually saying each and everyone was false, that nothing had been reported etc - but they still do the rounds on Facebook

And as safeguarding children is everyone's business we are entitled to disagree

Disagree, yes. Act, no.

Schools do not have the independent legal authority to prevent DCs leaving their care. To do so would be a criminal offence.

So any effort the school makes to prevent it happening is overstepping their authority.

Too young in my opinion. I don't allow mine to do the journey alone until secondary x

I can't imagine any of our parents calling the police if we didn't allow their 7-year-old to walk home on their own. But then on the whole they're a pretty sensible bunch.

I can't actually imagine any agency stepping in to do any of the things you said the schools did.

HT giving lifts to parents to fulfil the parents legal obligations - if the parent is assessed as needing that support then it's adult social care responsibility, not the school.

caring for a child while an emergency court order is sought - that ones firmly in the children's services remit. Schools are not responsible for childcare after school hours.

dressing, washing and feeding a child as the parent is unable to do so This is the responsibility of both adult and children's services - the former to support the parent with everyday activities and the latter to ensure the DCs welfare.

providing free/subsidised nursery places to vulnerable families That one sits in Children's Services, too - it's their assessment framework that deems which families are entitled to publicly funded support, not a HT job.

I obviously wasn't clear - I didn't say that I don't know what the roles of different agencies are.

I was questioning whether those agencies would be able and willing to act in a timely manner to avoid the school having to.

Anyway, just to let you know thats me out for tonight - we won't be changing what we do in school based on one stranger's opinion of how schools carry out their safeguarding told, but thanks anyway - it's been real

I was questioning whether those agencies would be able and willing to act in a timely manner to avoid the school having to.

Which is exactly my point - schools are investing time and resource in doing things that arent their responsibility because they don't agree with children/adult services judgements about whether or not something should be done.

You said it yourself upthread - you disagree with the view of the principle childrens social worker, and will continue to act against their advice. Yet it is Social Services who are the professionals employed and trained to make those judgments and to act when they believe it is necessary.

Not only does this lead to school staff interfering with family life, it reduces the school resources available for all parents. If a staff member is trying to persuade one parent that their child should not walk home alone, that teacher is not available to another parent to discuss the problems their child is having making progress in maths.
Schools are educators - and yes, I know that children can't learn unless they are safe, secure and happy outside school - but it is not the schools job to resolve it when they aren't.

DD is just turned 7 and in yr3 equivalent. We live 5 minutes away from school and I am letting her walk part way home on her own at the minute moving up to all the way. It's the norm here and there are two other girls in my street the same age who will be walking.

If a staff member is trying to persuade one parent that their child should not walk home alone, that teacher is not available to another parent to discuss the problems their child is having making progress in maths.

No need to worry yourself about that, NN.

I'm employed by the school specifically to support families so no teaching time wasted there.

And the principal SW wasn't giving me advice. She was saying her agency wouldn't get involved in the case of a school applying their own rules.