What age did you let your child come home to an empty house...

[CovidStoleTheRainbow]

... after school? And wait a few hours until the first parent got home? 5ish pm.

I think half an hour is reasonable for a 9 year old if you have no other option. Only you know if your child is mature enough though.

@emptyshelvesagain I'd say mumsnet would say the 9yo should be able to walk 5 miles, do the washing and cook a three course meal but shouldn't be left in room alone for more than 5mins until about 17.

I think I was 11-12. But it depends on the child. I don’t think 9 is necessarily too young especially if it’s literally 30 minutes and you can trust your older child to not be late.

High School year 7. So age 11/12

Y6, basically as a preparation to Y7.

Imo the are plenty old enough to be trusted to walk back home and wait for. Couple of hours at that age.

Y7 / 11yo for up to 3 hours a time. We got lights that turn on at dusk automatically so she's not coming into a dark building which helps. She rings me once she's inside and I can see if her phone is on the WiFi.

Secondary school seems the right age to start.
I do think 9 is too young imo.

Our school allows Y5 to walk home alone (parental permission). Most who walk have someone waiting for them, very few wait less than half n hour for someone. Haven’t done that yet but as no asc available I might jave to do start doing it on the days I cannot be at school for pick up time. Catchment area tiny though, so children wouldn’t walk for longer than 10 mins, usually 5.

Home on his own for half an hour at 9yo is ok imo. I wouLD have more issue with the walking home part of things (is there any road to cross etc...)

I would have more issue with basically giving the 13yo responsibility for his sibling for a couple of hours. It would all depend on how mature and responsible bot the 9yo and the 13yo are.
Eg I would have left Dc1 at 9yo with a 13yo with some maturity. I wouldn’t have done that with dc2.

I was 11, in Y6 and lived on the same street as the school. It was only for about 45 mins max if my mum hadn't got home before then.

I would not have been ok at 9 due to the location of my house and my dd's temperament - she wouldn’t have coped. My friend lives 5/7 mins from school and has a lot of neighbours, who could look out for her ds and was ok to do this from time to time at 9/10.

Will your ds cope?

Could you swap with a friend? Find a student, or TA/preschool staff who finish at 3? I can see why you're tempted as it's just for half an hour.

A lot of families round here rely on secondary siblings to pick up younger ones. Handily the secondary finishes earlier.

Other parents may be willing to support him walking back with a mate and staying at theirs for a bit, if it's just once or twice a week. I'd want to offer something in return, eg taking them to an extracurricular.

It varies from child to child, but I'd generally be very happy about leaving a 9-year old alone for half an hour and then having the two wait for you together. I would say it makes a difference for me whether they are able to reach you by phone in case anything goes wrong.

I used to walk home on my own, about 5 min walk with only residential streets to cross from about 9 but my mother/nan/auntie was waiting for me at home.

Going by what I was like at that age, 9-10 years old I was left for an hour or so at home if my mam was at the shops etc. 11 (starting high school) came home by myself by bus to an empty house for about 3-4 hours until my mother came home from work

My 9 almost 10YO would love that She can be a tad unpredictable but she would definitely be fine until older sibling got home. Unfortunately she can't even walk home alone because I have to pick up her younger sibling, which she is thoroughly annoyed by and tells me so on a regular basis.

Is he used to walking home alone or with friends? If so, that's half the issue that is no longer a problem.

He walks with friends.
I'm not sure I understand how it would be safer for him to play outside until someone came home. Perhaps I misunderstood that advice?

I usually would rely on friends or after school club but for unforeseen circumstances that isn't an option.
So this is basically a one off.

And fucking covid is to blame. Surprise surprise.

Y6 for my eldest so 11. There was generally 30 minutes between her getting in and my husband returning home, she also walked home with friends at this time too.

She had a ticklist for the 1st few weeks -

• Lock front door

-Bag and coat in safe place

-Open back door, let dog out. Once dog in, lock back door.

• upstairs uniform off

• homework done.

If there was an emergency in that short space of time, she was to ring me, her dad or grandad and door was not to be answered to anyone. She was also taught safest route in a fire etc, at a young age so was aware of how to get out safely.

If she wanted food, we had snacks.

Now both my nearly 13 year old (y8) and nearly 11 year old (y6) make own way home (with little guidance to y6 child by grandad) and they are home until either myself or husband arrive home 45 mins to an hour later.

It has been a very staggered process which would have stopped had either of them had shown me they were unsafe but I want them to get independence as I did at that age.

I guess this is where a lot of working parents come unstuck. After school clubs at primary. Then they start secondary and suddenly you have a couple of years without that gap bridging childcare but they still feel a bit young to be left. I don’t get home till about 6. Not sure what we will do. Our eldest boy is definitely not sensible.

My very sensible 9 year old spends an hour on her own at home regularly whilst I walk the dog. I live in a small village and she knows to go to the shop next door or up the hill to my parents if she needs anything. She has never had an issue. She sits with her computer and her snack happily enough.

if it is a one-off, that is fine. does the child have a phone to keep in touch with you?

Y7. Younger than that the key might get stuck due to whether (or a horrible fitter gggrrrr) and they might end up saying locked outside. Otherwise there has always been a deal "if you do your homework quickly you can play games".

10 and 9 oldest 2. Youngest was year 6 so 10/11.
Never had a problem. I don't see half an hour at home as an issue. Get a key safe rather than giving them a key then they can't lose the key. I had a rule with the oldest one that they had to call me from the landline so I knew that they were home.
How does dc feel about it?

Sorry OP I think 9 is too young. Is there another mum at the school in the same bubble you could ask nicely as it's a one off?

Mine did this from the spring of her last year at junior school - not every day , she’d normally be home @5/5.30 and me within the hour . It was her choice as her afterschool nanny moved on so I agreed to trial it . We live in London . It worked well .