To allow a ten year old to walk home from school alone?

[hibbledobble]

She will be in year 5.

Options will be very limited as au pairs virtually non-existent due to leaving the EU and covid-19, after-school club likely not running (and pretty poor if it does), and no childminders I know collect from the school. Plus at her age she would hate being with a childminder.

She is very keen, and thinking of getting her a phone so she can call us if needed. Walk approximately 10 minutes.

It would be to an empty home though, and alone for up to 2 hours.

Walking home at that age is fairly common - I teach year 5/6. Personally though, I wouldn’t be comfortable leaving a Y5 child on their own for 2 hours school. Have the school confirmed there will be no after school club? My school is providing wrap-around provision from September.

I used to do this. Would get home, make a snack for myself and then read or start on homework. I think it depends on the maturity of your child and if you think they'll be able to cope!

That was back in the 90's. Would definitely get her a phone so she can easily reach you if needed.

I would start leaving her alone for a couple of hours now so she can get used to it and see how she manages. Surely by the time she’s walked home, got a drink and got the tv on and settled it will only be about an hour anyway.

I don't see a problem with the walk (barring a drip feed of her having to cross a really busy A Road with no crossing or something!)
Do you have a neighbour or friend/family nearby she can call or go to if she needs to?
Only issue for me would be if she is sensible enough to be indoors alone for 2 hours. Is she reliable enough to remember her key and not lose it at school? Sensible enough to not open the door/answer the phone if someone knocks or rings? What about in winter when it's dark- will she be OK alone then?

for the benefit of everyone legally if you send a note to school giving permission for them to walk home alone then they can regardless of school policy, the school can not detain your child when you have given them permission to leave. if they have a very specific safeguarding concern like they truly believe it is unsafe for child X to walk to house Y then they can raise it with social services, social services are not interested in blanket policy so if you leave 3 doors away from school with no roads it is almost impossible that a safeguarding concern would be real even if child was only 7-8, however if they live 2 miles away with 3 dual carriageways to cross alone a 9-10 year old may not be safe

School policy is not the same as the law, if you give permission for them to walk home or to school alone that is really the end of the matter.

Schools are not alone in giving the impression that policies are legally binding, there is a difference between a school rule being binding in school hours on the premises and being bonding once under parental control, like you couldn't have a rule stopping a kid wearing their blazer on a Sunday to the skate park ( I know no kid ever would!!)

My 10 year old daughter (year 6) will have to walk home alone twice a week which will take her about 40 minutes and then wait around 30 minutes home alone. This is because she now finishes at 2.45 but my school is 3.35 and her school bus no longer runs. We will be practising the walk and she will have a phone.

Walk home fine x 2 hours alone following not fine

Would the school allow it? Everyone below year 6 has to be collected by an adult at dds primary. I think 2 hours is too long for a 10 year old to be left alone every day.

@tiredanddangerous see my note 3 posts above it is upto the parent in the end not school

DS is about to start Y7, but started getting himself home from sports matches in Y5. He had several each week and they often got back at odd times, or late when they were swimming galas. It made juggling work and childcare for 2 x DC a nightmare.

So depending on what time he was due back, if DH or I would be at home within about 30 mins, he would make his way home, alternatively he would make his way to the wraparound club we used which was independent of school and they would look after him until we could collect. He had a phone which we (and the wraparound club) would track, it's only about a 15 mins walk and we didn't have any problems. I wouldn't have left him at home for 2 hours though, although I can appreciate the difficulties at the moment.

I'd be fine with that. From y5 dd stayed home alone on inset days by herself.

Home alone all day in year 5 is terrible.

Yes you're right @TeacupDrama but you'd have a problem if school decide it's a safeguarding issue.

No I wouldn't be keen on a 10 year old walking home alone, is the walk really just 10 minutes? Definitely not to an empty house, what if someone followed them. Some posters will state that it would make their 10 year old confident and strong, but not much point in being confident and strong if you are followed home by a creep.

Absolutely not.

yes but the school have to be convinced it is a specific safe guarding issue for your child on your route not a blanket policy; so for some 8year olds it would not be a safeguarding issue for some it would and for 10 year olds too, the problem with a blanket policy is that it doesn't stand up to scrutiny and when a parent gives permisson for child to walk home alone; the school would have to come to a realistic judgment as to whether knowing the child; how responsible they are are and distance form school as to whether it was a real risk not a policy breach.

In the end it is not the school that decide it is a safeguarding risk if they thought you were being an irresponsible parent by allowing it, it would have to be raised to social work and then convince them it was a risk, socail work are not bothered by school policy but whether parent is truly putting child at risk ( this is a fairly high threshold) for most NT child a 10 minute walk at age 9/10 with no major road crossings would not be a risk (OP's child is Y5) and social work would not be remotely interested

Like others, the walk is fine.

I wouldn't like the 2 hrs home alone.

Would she be able to contact you at all times if there was an incident on the way home? How long would it be before you knew if she didn't get home? How long would it take you to get home in an emergency?

Interesting, I hadn't realised the time at home alone would be the issue. She already has time home alone, by her choice, and loves it. I will have a think about options.

Three tier system around here, and the universal unwritten rule is that children walk to school alone/with friends when they go to middle school, aged 9 (Year 5). However home alone for two hours after is too much I think.

Our a school didn't allow it until Year 6 at which point DS was one of the first to... He has his own key and they can hand this and mobile to office to be locked away through the day and collect at home time.

He would do this and then text me as he left school and again once he was in the house with door locked. He stayed 3.30 till 5.30 alone. I always called him before leaving work to check on him.

Conditions were he didn't answer front door, always had his phone with him, knew what to do if he was worried (never happened) and didn't try cooking lol
He would come in, get a drink and snack, get changed out of school clothes and then watch TV or go on PS4 for a bit.

Could you put up a camera in the house to observe her safety periodically from your mobile, and obviously give her a mobile phone.

Mine all did. Youngest dd who is now 12 did so from year 5 on her own. Oldest dd did as well.
If the child is sensible they will be fine. Sensible plan in place should you be late. Always had to call me from landline phone so I knew that they were home. Key safe so key cannot get lost (tool me until dd3 to hit on this).

When I was in the 6th form I did a few months of "babysitting" in pretty much this situation. The children (about 8 and 10) would come home from school on their own, I'd arrive from my school about half an hour later and just be in the house as an almost-adult to be there if they had any problems. Easiest income ever for me, as the children were usually outside playing with friends and I could do my homework while waiting for their mum to come back from work. Do you know any teenagers who would be able to do that for you, if you feel you could afford it? (Note that I was a responsible teenager with a bit of first aid knowledge so seen as a safe pair of hands. )

My 10 year old, now going into yr5 has walked to school and back home again. We started out him walking a head within earshot, got him a phone and then allowed him to walk by himself once I was confident he was sensible enough. However I still walk my youngest so see hes got to school safe and we live in a neigh our good where everyone knows everyone. I'm always home for when he gets back tho, he has to come straight home. On the odd occasion hes back before me he waits in the front garden. I wouldnt give him keys go let himself in and fend for himself for a few hours. Hes sensible but... I dont believe a 10 year old is old enough to handle emergencies.