6 year old walking to school alone via a woodland track

[Loveagingernut]

I am looking for others views, maybe I’m being too protective and should be promoting independence.

Back story….
School walk via roads and pavements is over a mile long, however there is a short cut through woodland area where the track is just less than half a mile but it is classed as a forest. On the left of the forest is an industrial estate with approx 60 different businesses. Due to the nature of 80% of these businesses, they mainly employ men. On the right of the forest there is a residential area and the primary school.
The track is popular with dog walkers, teenagers going in the opposite direction to the secondary school use this short cut, and lots of men that walk or cycle to their employment in the industrial estate.

So this is my concern…..
A young mum, that I support, was walking her 6 year old daughter to school via the track, but I have found out that in the cold, winter, dark mornings, the child is now walking to school alone on this route. She doesn’t need to cross any roads so no safety issues there but am I being over protective thinking it’s not acceptable for a 6 year old taking this route on her own.

Mum isn’t taking her, because she has to be elsewhere for 9am and doesn’t have the time to take her daughter to school, thus allowing daughter to walk through the forest alone.

Am I being too protective or do I promote independence.

[PeapodBurgundy]

@Loveagingernut just to back up what PP have said. I'm an FE Lecturer; the group of adult learners I teach, about 1/3 of the class arrive late due to childcare issues, and this is a complete non issue. We mediate this by the first part of each session being a self directed task to form the base of the session, affording those who will miss the first part the opportunity to complete it in advance, and those who can arrive by 9am to do it in class. Nobody misses any learning, nobody is waiting around for the latecomers, and it makes college accessible to those who otherwise wouldn't be able to attend for various reasons.

She should speak with college, as a team we would be horrified if one of our students was taking such a risk with their child to arrive at 9am. I can't imagine any other college not offering any kind of support or flexibility.

(That being said, her judgement is off, this still needs flagging up to the school safeguarding team as a minimum)

[Asi1]

Hell No!!

I'm a adult and l don't walk through wooded areas or alleys.

[dotsandco]

I'm a Year 2 teacher...some of my class are 6, others 7. It's VERY young!

Not a chance that my school would allow ANY KS1 child to walk to school alone. EVER!! We don't release any child below Year 5 unless an appropriate person is there to collect them. This could be an adult or in some cases older sibling (the high school over the road finish 15 minutes before us, and we have lots of siblings there who pick up our students).

You have an urgent safeguarding duty here OP to report this to the school.

[chaosrabbitland]

iv got a 13 year old and i wouldnt let her walk this alone , its just not safe , we all know via the news the terrible things that can befall children walking alone , millie dowler was a a bus stop on a road when levi bellfield snatched her , and she was 12 /13 . never mind a 6 year old !

[Heckythump1]

Surely school must be aware that this child is arriving at school alone?! How long has this been going on?
I have a just 6 year old and we live less than 5 minutes walk to school, and i'd definitely not be letting her do it alone!

[Quartz2208]

DDs school backs onto a huge parkland area (high school) and there is a school rule that if you need at least 3 pupils (it’s a girls school) to walk through it. In the winter the park gate gets shut at 4:30 and so anyone staying later comes out the front entrance into the main road

Recently a female runner was assaulted (thankfully she fought him off) so the danger is very much there

You need to report and sort this is a massive safeguarding issue

[Thatsplentyjack]

Well my ds2 has just turned 8 and he's not even allowed to walk through the small park behind us to get to school. He's only allowed to go the street way because I would be too worried about him being alone in the park, and there's a river. Definitely 6 through a forest is too young.

[Lovemusic33]

Our local primary doesn’t allow any kids to walk alone to or from school until they are year 6.

No way should a 6 year old be walking to school alone. I would inform the school.

[TheGoogleMum]

6 feels too young to walk alone. Back in the 90s I didnt walk to school alone until I was about 10.

[UsernameInTheTown]

This has to be a wind up thread? I sincerely hope so.

[cookiemonster2468]

Obviously not OK and I am concerned that you as a "grandmother figure" had to ask on mumsnet to clarify that.

Does this child have any competend adults protecting her?

Please do something about this.

[cookiemonster2468]

*competent

[43leftfeet]

@MeanderingGently

This thread is really sad.
Sad because of the number of people who think a 6 year old shouldn't walk to school alone. Of course a 6 year old can walk to school alone, there's nothing wrong with that, why the hell should it be a safeguarding issue??
Attitudes like this explain exactly why kids in the UK grow up over-protected and unable to do anything by themselves.

In the early 80s we all took ourselves to school from a fairly young age. Yes, it made us independent. It also made not one, but two of my friend's siblings dead, through being hit by a car on the way to/from school.

The numbers of children who are sexually assaulted in our society is much higher than we may have realised back then too. Do you have your head in the sand about this also?

There are better ways to encourage independence than to leave your 6 year old so exposed to risk.

[Quartz2208]

@MeanderingGently

This thread is really sad.
Sad because of the number of people who think a 6 year old shouldn't walk to school alone. Of course a 6 year old can walk to school alone, there's nothing wrong with that, why the hell should it be a safeguarding issue??
Attitudes like this explain exactly why kids in the UK grow up over-protected and unable to do anything by themselves.

Yes it is really sad. It is sad because you are right it should be safe for anyone to walk through woodland alone. But the sad brutal truth is that if it is anything like our woodland it isn’t.

It is the woodland path that is the main issue but actually given traffic most UK schools have the policy of Year 5.

[OhPeeQueue]

Wtf, I really don’t believe this. Who leaves their 6 year old to walk alone because they need to be somewhere at 9?
6 year olds are tiny. My eldest started walking occasionally aged 11, but on a built up road along with many other children.

[waterrat]

While it is clearly unusual and odd in this case I agree there is some total hysteria also. So 13 year olds now can't walk half a mile across a busy path with some wooded trees ?

By 8 or 9 children really should be given the freedom to walk through any busy area city or town alone of with friends as they develop independence

[oviraptor21]

Even in Germany and Scandinavia where, in some places it's not uncommon for six year old to walk to school on their own, it would be in a safe way, not along a forest track.

[Roselilly36]

Too young to be doing that, no way would I have allowed my DS’ to do that.

Having said that, I walked to school on my own when I had just started, with a small road to cross and a bigger road with a lollipop lady. My mum never walked me to school or picked me up, this was in 70’s. When I think about it and I remember it well, I can’t believe my mother was ok with it, I was also late summer born, so always youngest in the class. Needless to say she wasn’t a great mum to me.

[Loveagingernut]

I have to leave shortly but will come back later in the day to update,

Thanks everyone

[RedHelenB]

@Wondergirl100

Well it would be unusual in the UK and normal in some countries like Germany.

And normal to me as a child, we all walked to and from school by ourselves.

[NewbieAlert]

@Redwinestillfine

I don't think it's ok for a 6 year old to walk themselves, Irrespective.

This 👆
This child will still be in infants? Absolutely unacceptable.

[Mummyratbag]

Geez no, I had similar concerns about a Y3 on a much less secluded walk, but I could see that the teachers were monitoring/aware of it.

It seems to be Y5/6 here that is allowed.

[tttigress]

Currently living in Switzerland, that is perfectly normal here, and having parents taking children around is considered damaging to the child.

But I can see Hy it might stand out in the UK.

[Twoweekcruise]

Why do people think this is a wind up? Sadly, things like this happen every day. My dh’s own niece and nephew were often left on their own all day at that age whilst their drug addict mother went out to get her hit.
As other have said, this needs an urgent report to the school, op you would never forgive yourself if something happened to this little girl.

[JinglingHellsBells]

@TheGoogleMum

6 feels too young to walk alone. Back in the 90s I didnt walk to school alone until I was about 10.

Things have changed.

I walked to school from age 7. A mile4 times a day. morning, both ways lunchtime, after school.