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.

@Porcupineinwaiting

Even if they do release year fives without an adult waiting to collect, (my dc school does), virtually no child walks home alone. They're all still collected. Hence my response to the comment from a poster who was astonished that children don't walk by themselves.
In my ds class, in year five out of thirty children, only two walked home alone...interestingly both Eastern European children.

How would she be letting herself in?
At the same age, I had a necklace with a house key on it and used to let myself in and wait for my siblings and my mum to come home.
I didn't see anything wrong with it at the time but I would avoid doing it with my son.

Funnily enough I was only allowed to walk to and from school with two boys in my year, but letting myself in an empty house wasn't seen as an issue. Are there any other kids she can walk with?

For me, the walk home by herself is no problem on its own. On its own, being in the house for an hour or so is no problem for a 10 year old. However, I wouldn’t be happy about 2 hours for a 10 year old. I also don’t think it is right for a 10 year old to walk home, Let themselves in and be on their own for 2 hours several times a week. If she can home from school upset for some reason, it’s a long time to be on your own at that age. And also, once schools go back, it’s very nearly winter. What time does school finish and in December, what time does it go dark in your area. Would your dd be happy about letting herself in and it going dark very quickly. If she were held up on her way home, it could be dark as she gets home. Is she happy with that idea? My dc Of a similar age are fine being in the house in the dark, but coming in to a dark house, on their own and shutting the curtains might be a bit much.

Do school have a policy on allowing children to walk home alone? Our middle school are fine with it, but I know some primaries only allow year 6s to walk home unaccompanied.

The walk home would be fine if you trust that she will cross safely, not be walking around with her phone in her face etc., but the two hours alone at the other end I’m pretty sure I would have no house left if I allowed that part ;)
Is the school not looking at safe after school provisions?

I'm surprised so many schools wait so long before "allowing" pupils to walk home alone. Our school, Scotland, lets pupils walk home alone in Primary 4. So the age range is 7,8 and 9. (The youngest pupils will be 7, the oldest probably deferred entry to P1)

I'd be quite happy to let a confident 10 year old walk home alone and as for staying home alone for up to 2 hours - I think that's a decision only you can make.

My DS when 10 could get left home alone for an hour or so. My DD now 10 would not like it at all.

I’ve got a similar issue in September as well. I’m a TA and DS is about to go into Y5. He goes to the same school I work in but they are on split sites with a 10 min walk between them. Currently I finish at 3.10pm and DS finishes at 3.20pm so I leave school and run down to meet him.
In September they are changing the school day to make it staggered, DS will start 30 minutes before I do and finish 30 mins earlier. The morning is fine as he just waits to go in (it works out about 5 mins) but in the afternoon my options are putting him in after school club which is running but it’s going to mean him in another bubble on top of his class bubble plus my bubble and he really doesn’t want to go. Ideally he could just walk the 10 mins up to my school and wait for me there (it’s 1 road to cross with a lollipop lady who he knows) but the issue is my head won’t let him in our building (due to Covid the front door will be locked) so he will need to wait outside for 20 mins which is fine now but not so fine in the middle of winter.

iheartttc is the school not able to help you at all? It seems very mean of them to not help you find a solution, as you work for them.

There might be an ASC, but she is unwilling to go even if there is. She would prefer to be home.

This probably won't be an issue until some point in 2021, by which time she might be nearly 10 1/2, so some time to think about it. An informal arrangement with the mum of a friend might be another option (and I don't believe would come under Ofsted regulations due to her age)