To think 11 is not too young to travel on a train alone?

[Tellmeifimwrong]

Please settle a debate! Happy to hear all opinions.

Is 11 years old, starting y7 in Sept, too young to take a one hour train journey, without parents but with a slightly younger child? Put on at one end by an adult and met at the other end by an adult, with a phone and data, and train staff informed? No behavioural problems or SEN.

@Jonei they do have houses like Hogwarts!! 😂 and it’s an old school with a lot of tradition.

Whatever is happening elsewhere in U.K. I’m happy with the provision we have.

I'm sure someone will be along soon who has heard of / used this style of supervision on the public transport network, by teachers, in the UK, for a state funded school...

Where I live (London) several secondary schools have staff members placed at all the nearby bus stops at the end of the school day - and quite often community police officers are there too. This is 'normal' for many schools.
Anyway...the OP was never talking about school commuting. She was asking about a one off trip. Different scenario.

It does sound very Hogwarts indeed. I bet that steam train is super fun to ride. I bet your kiddies never bump their heads jumping through to the platform. Just watch out for the Voldemorts out there trying to pray on the students. Lucky the teachers are keeping an eye out. 😉

There’s already been someone who commented “it’s a thing” further back in the thread. And @steppemum said about TA being on primary school bus.

I really can’t speak for what’s going on elsewhere, all I can relate is what I consider to be normal in my area.

My whole family attended/is attending this particular school. Two family members also worked there (one currently). And I know that surrounding grammars are similar because of friends telling me and you see the teachers standing at bus stops near the schools.

There are a lot of schools close together, all with kids using public transport and the “bus duty” stops the whole thing descending into chaos.

Anyway, I’m happy the support is there.

@jonei give it a rest. The thread has been detailed enough.

*derailed

Primary is very different from secondary school, as explained by steppemum. I haven't seen anyone saying that it is “a thing” at state secondary schools. Quite the opposite. If your children aren't at secondary school yet I'm a bit sceptical that you know exactly what will happen with regard to supervision when they do go. Given your obvious anxiety I wonder if friends/relatives are just trying to humour you.

Hopping on to call for a bit of peace and love and with a reminder to avoid posts that come across as troll hunting/personal attacks. If you've any concerns with posts or MNetters on this thread, hit report and we'll take a look.

Standing outside the school gate for a few minutes and checking the children don't run across a busy road to the bus stop etc is normal. That doesn't mean they're checking they're getting on the bus and travelling with them on buses and supervising them getting off at each stop is not normal at secondary school.

It would be a hell no from me but I accept I'm a somewhat anxious parent. That said I have two nephews who are 11 and I asked their parents and they were also against it...

Standing outside the school gate for a few minutes and checking the children don't run across a busy road to the bus stop etc is normal. That doesn't mean they're checking they're getting on the bus and travelling with them on buses and supervising them getting off at each stop is not normal at secondary school.

Nope. It's certainly not normal in secondary state schools. Or even primary. I can imagine it could happen in private. I cant see how it would be even possible in state schools where there's not enough staff, recruitment issues, teachers are not paid enough as it is, that they would run this level of supervision across the transport network.

@WomblingTree86 they don't stand at the gates. They are stood at the many bus stops along the road (there's probably 6/7 different bus stops).
Literally at the stops. Making sure the kids don't pile on the bus overcrowding it and making sure they behave towards each other/rival schools/members of the public etc.
Sometimes Community police or transport police are there too. Sometimes the police actually get on the bus if behaviour is particularly bad that day.

@WomblingTree86 @Jonei the schools l am referring to are all part the same academy chain. I guess that's something the choose to spend their money on as academies can do what they want with their money.

Yes, I can believe they make sure children aren't piling on the buses or causing problems while near the school. There obviously have been some problems/complaints with that if the community/transport police officers are nearby too. That's very different from making sure individuals students get on/off the bus and supervising their journey home though.

@WomblingTree86 well yes they don't check them at the other end. Although if the bus route ends at a bus station/interchange there is often yet more community police around.
It's ironic - so called popular, sought after, over subscribed Academy schools yet their pupils are an embarrassment to their school with their behaviour traveling too and from school.
But meh - I wouldn't send my child to one of those schools.
Rhymes with "arris" by the way - the academy chain. Anyone in South East London will probably no what I mean.

Agree, people are no worse than 50 years ago, there's just more awareness but there's also more safety, phone tracking for example. It's attitudes like 11 being too young to travel on a train that has created a generation of anxious children, their anxiety being stoked by their parents' attitudes.

It was me that said it's a thing 🤷🏻‍♀️ Like I said originally, it's not a universal thing but I've definitely seen / experienced it (London)

You do realise that having dropped your 16 year old off at their declared destination you have no idea where they then go, unless of course you then stalk them!

No and no.
That is putting a lot of responsibility on a child on top of caring for a younger one.
With the huge amount of sexual predators,child trafficking and violent crimes there is absolutely no way would I do this.
And the train staff will not accept responsibility.
Please don't consider this as feasible.

So you have seen teachers supervising state secondary pupils journeys home on underground/buses/trains? How on earth would they be able to do that in London?

Oh for sure. Generally it seems to be a strange thing to prioritise these days, when so much else is failing, but I can understand why a school might take this decision if there has been significant problems from pupils enroute.