Having to pick 11 yr old up from school

[Knitwit101]

Our school has a new head. Been there maybe a month. He has announced that in the winter all kids must be collected from school. I have an 11 yr old in p7 (Scotland) who has been walking home alone since p3. We are really near the school and he has only one road to cross, it has a crossing. This is a ridiculous rule, right? Surely an 11 yr old can walk maybe 4 minutes home alone if his parent says he can? It's not even nearly dark at 3.15pm.

To add to my irritation my 6 yr old finishes 20 minutes earlier. There is nowhere sheltered outside to wait and we are not allowed to wait in the school. There's no point walking home, sitting at home for 10 minutes then going back out again. So I am expected to stand outside (in weather and light that is unsuitable for 11 yr olds to be alone in) with my 6 yr old for 20 minutes to collect an 11 yr old who is perfectly capable of walking home alone.

I have complained, as have several other parents. The school have said that they are not making judgements about the capabilities and journeys of individual pupils, it's the same rule for everyone and that's that.
One parent refused to come and collect her dd. She was made to wait in school and her parent was called to collect her.

Yesterday I offered to 'collect' a bunch of kids and walk them to the school gate then let them go. So i basically collected every p7 kid then let them walk home like they usually do. I half thought the school would have phoned me this morning and complained about deliberate flouting of their policy but they haven't. Another parent is going to collect them all today and walk them round the corner out of sight.

AIBU to think this is a ridiculous policy?

Maybe boos town/city are trying to adopt some sort of informal Purge like day. Tying up police officers in unnecessary activities like escorting children to church to allow local "wrong 'uns" a clear day for criminal escapades...
Glad it is all sorted Op although mildly disappointed with lack of drama!

That’s a good outcome for you OP anyway .

Good outcome, OP. I like you’re sprit. Too many people defend ill thought petty decisions and rules which can’t be legally enforced, merely because someone in authority has said so.

Let's hope that common sense has prevailed.

I'm in Germany, admittedly only a small town, but when daughter left Kindergarten, one of the things on the checklist was walking home without an adult.

Not unusual for 6yr olds to walk to & from school without an adult.

Ridiculous. Almost all of the children from about age 9 and up walk themselves to school. It’s very definitely winter in Canada as well! At the beginning of the year you are asked to fill out a form about walking / pick ups etc. I walk my 6 year old but my 9 year old daughter is more than capable of walking herself. Won’t an 11 year old in the UK be in secondary next year?

Why on earth didn't the head do that in the first place?!

Actually that also rather suggests he had absolutely no good reason for implementing the policy at all!

"An email arrived later this afternoon saying that parents can notify the school in writing if they are happy for their kids to walk home alone."

Was that not in place already?
I'm baffled.

We are in England and my DC primary school only year 6 are allowed to walk home alone and even then only in the last term after Easter. This was fine for DS who was still 10 and autistic as I had to collect his younger Sisters. My neighbours DD though is a very mature 11 year old who has walked to school alone from Y4 but the HT won’t allow her to walk home alone.

As usual, Ht's and Teachers are damned if they do and damned if they don't.
The day that something really awful happens, you will all turn around and blame the school for a lack of care.
Be glad that this HT cares more about your kids than you do.

This drives me mental. YANBU. My DC’s school also take it upon themselves to try to parent out of hours. They even called to say a member of staff will have to walk them home if I don’t. Well you fill your boots! It’s not preparing them at all well for high school. The children’s welfare is legally YOUR responsibility after school hours, I wrote and reminded them so. Love that you’ve found inventive ways to flout the rules but really, just write and tell them to stick to parenting during school hours.

Be glad that this HT cares more about your kids than you do.
Would you be saying this if you were required to collect an 11 year old in England from school, so year 7 of secondary school? How about a 12, 13 year old? Awful things have happened to children this age too, but you can't wrap children in cotton wool forever just in case.