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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Aibu to ask when and why it became the norm for schools not to allow juniors to make their own way home?

335 replies

RedHelenB · 02/04/2022 04:03

Seems they need parents to collect them from the class teacher up until y5 or 6 now, whereas a few years ago my dc orimary school.Just let them out at hometime and stonewalled home, somewhere collected by older siblings and some by oarents. Just one staff member by the junior entrance.

OP posts:
Original poster
RedHelenB · 02/04/2022 18:10

@Hiddenvoice

I think it varies on school. Schools here ask for y1,2 and 3 to be collected by adults. Sue to Covid only those parents are allowed in the school grounds anyway. The other year groups are just dismissed and teachers watch them safely leave school grounds to which they are either meet a parent or walk home.
And that's how it used to be 8 years ago at my son's school. The norm was juniors were considered more responsible than the infants whereas now it seems they aren't in a lot of schools.
OP posts:
wonkylegs · 02/04/2022 19:35

KS2 are allowed to walk to and from school alone in our village

TizerorFizz · 02/04/2022 19:36

I think parents make children not responsible in some cases. Don’t teach them to be able to do anything. Over protect them. In fact limit their development by not having confidence in them. Confident capable children are better able to cope with transition to secondary school.

cherryonthecakes · 02/04/2022 21:23

There are no lollipop ladies/men making crossing outside schools safe any more. Considering how crazy the area outside local schools are (cars) I think it's for the best that y3/4 don't walk home alone.

AHungryCaterpillar · 02/04/2022 21:37

@cherryonthecakes

There are no lollipop ladies/men making crossing outside schools safe any more. Considering how crazy the area outside local schools are (cars) I think it's for the best that y3/4 don't walk home alone.
Our school has 2
CasperGutman · 02/04/2022 21:49

Year six can certainly walk home alone here (UK, not England).

MajorCarolDanvers · 02/04/2022 21:50

@cherryonthecakes

There are no lollipop ladies/men making crossing outside schools safe any more. Considering how crazy the area outside local schools are (cars) I think it's for the best that y3/4 don't walk home alone.
Lollipop people outside all the schools in my town.
Awalkintime · 02/04/2022 21:59

I walked home alone at 7 in the late 80s. Me and my brother had a key and we were expected to do jobs like prepare the veg, walk the dog and vac up when we got home.

Stellaris22 · 02/04/2022 22:00

@cherryonthecakes

There are no lollipop ladies/men making crossing outside schools safe any more. Considering how crazy the area outside local schools are (cars) I think it's for the best that y3/4 don't walk home alone.
Ours has one.
Dogsinpajamas · 02/04/2022 22:31

I remember our lollipop lady got run over and was seriously injured in the 70s. Also remember getting luminous armbands every winter and learning road safety at school and getting Tufty Club badges.

Ponoka7 · 02/04/2022 22:32

@JustLyra, schools can implement tier one and two CP. But just walking home wouldn't be enough cause there would have to be concerns around what happened next.

My DD took herself to school and back home at 8 in the early 00's. It was a straight walk, in a group and there was a lollipop man. It was also the sort of place were people would look out for kids and get involved. As well as the lack of traffic, that's the difference. I walked to school from 6 in the 70's, but every few houses there'd be an older woman who would stand/sit in the path. The adults around us would make sure that we were ok.
There's always a big change after every child abduction/murder/attack, which is why schools can set their own rules.

alfagirl73 · 02/04/2022 22:39

I started school in the 70's... my mum walked me to school & picked me up for about the first week - then I was on my own - so was regularly walking to and from school myself from age 4. I had to cross 2 main roads, but the lollipop ladies knew every child by name and were really switched on about noting which children they'd seen cross etc.

But if I got home at the end of the school day and had forgotten my homework, my mum would send me back up to the school to get it - and often the lollipop people had gone home by then, so I was on my own with crossing - but road safety etc... was REALLY drummed into us from a very early age - at home and at school. I remember a policeman coming into school quite regularly to talk to us all about road safety and stranger-danger and all that sort of thing.

I soon learned not to forget my homework mind you! I remember one time I forgot it and was duly sent back up to the school to get it. On my way downstairs after collecting it I heard some teachers coming and panicked thinking I'd get into trouble so I rushed and ended up taking a massive tumble down the (stone!) stairs. The teachers saw and came rushing to my aid... obviously wondering what I was doing there - I told them why I was there - they were actually impressed that I'd gone back to get my homework - but after the fall I took (I literally went head first arse-over-tit down the stairs) my teacher said not to worry about the homework and just go home and relax. I told my mum - she was having none of it - still made me do my homework! My mum was hardcore - I had to be bleeding out my eyes and have limbs hanging off to be allowed off school or to get out of doing my homework or whatever.

sunflowerdaisyrose · 02/04/2022 23:18

By year 4 I was walking home alone or with my year 7 sister. I wouldn't let my year 4 quite yet but we practice and there's only two roads to cross, one is busier but good visibility and we don't cross if we can see any cars (unless they stop which they often do)' other is our own road and it's very quiet and I let her walk to her friend's opposite anyway. I'll let her in year 5 (when schools allow) on the days I'm not collecting her younger sibling.

etulosba · 02/04/2022 23:25

so was regularly walking to and from school myself from age 4.

Same here. The world is a different place now. Having said that, I remember having it drummed into me that I should be wary of strangers.

etulosba · 02/04/2022 23:26

Actually, I was five. My sister was four.

MrsPsmalls · 02/04/2022 23:36

Its madness. Only at Christmas in year 6 was DS allowed to walk home from school by himself. Come the following September he had to travel 6 miles on two buses to get to his secondary school.

AnnPerkins · 03/04/2022 00:42

Summer term of year 4 in our village. Three tier here. From year 5 onwards they walk by themselves to and from the bus stop and catch a school bus to middle school.

JustLyra · 03/04/2022 00:43

[quote Ponoka7]@JustLyra, schools can implement tier one and two CP. But just walking home wouldn't be enough cause there would have to be concerns around what happened next.

My DD took herself to school and back home at 8 in the early 00's. It was a straight walk, in a group and there was a lollipop man. It was also the sort of place were people would look out for kids and get involved. As well as the lack of traffic, that's the difference. I walked to school from 6 in the 70's, but every few houses there'd be an older woman who would stand/sit in the path. The adults around us would make sure that we were ok.
There's always a big change after every child abduction/murder/attack, which is why schools can set their own rules.[/quote]
Which is exactly what I’ve said. No parent is going to end up with safeguarding issues just for allowing their child to walk home from school.

And schools can’t stop it. And can’t sanction parents in any way just for that. It has to actually be dangerous in some way for any issues, not just blanket not allowed

Nat6999 · 03/04/2022 02:58

I got reported to SS by school for ds catching the bus to school on his own when I was ill. The bus stopped outside where we lived & the stop at school was less than 50 metres to the school gates, no roads to cross, he was 9, otherwise he would have had to stay off school.

TizerorFizz · 03/04/2022 07:57

@Nat6999
They have no justification for that. There is no legislation about how a parent ensures their child gets to school. 9 is perfectly ok for travelling on a bus.

AHungryCaterpillar · 03/04/2022 11:04

@Nat6999

I got reported to SS by school for ds catching the bus to school on his own when I was ill. The bus stopped outside where we lived & the stop at school was less than 50 metres to the school gates, no roads to cross, he was 9, otherwise he would have had to stay off school.
Well there you go but people on here don’t want to believe it happens, I actually got the opposite and got reported for leaving dd alone age 9 whilst I took the others to school. Was only 20mins, and technically there is nothing wrong with that either as there’s no law against leaving a child home alone but I still got reported. Hence why I won’t be rocking the boat with the school as they are very quick to call ss over little things and for those that say ss won’t be interested well they did actually contact me so… clearly they were.
Porcupineintherough · 03/04/2022 13:19

@AHungryCaterpillar @Nat6999 so you were reported to SS and then what happened? I guess they spoke to you and case closed yes?

AHungryCaterpillar · 03/04/2022 13:28

I told them I didn’t, so who knows what would have happened! They did call though so they obviously did care enough otherwise it wouldn’t even be on there radar why call?

kitcat15 · 03/04/2022 14:02

@ZenNudist

It's normal for year 5 and 6 to walk here. Some younger dc do walk but it's not seen as good parenting
By who? 🙄
Nat6999 · 03/04/2022 14:03

Porcupineintherough I had to allow them to come in my home & take apart every aspect of the care of ds, they even wanted to inspect his room & what food I had in the house. I was very ill at the time they turned up but they still made comments about the fact I was in my Pyjamas & in bed, I didn't know it was a crime to be sick. Yes they closed the case but it doesn't stop you feeling awful about the intrusion in to your home & life.