To think he should take his own child to school?

[ApplesandOrangesandPears]

I have a neighbour who's child is my daughters class, every day this past week this child has showed up at my door unaccompanied to go to school with us - this would be fine but my child has ADHD and mornings are chaotic and difficult. I don't have this child's parents phone numbers, and don't know exactly where they live! However I just saw the parent in their car driving away as I was trying to bundle all 3 children across the car park.....this child is very young and so I don't feel comfortable sending them home alone and clearly the parent isn't waiting for them to get home before leaving themselves! I don't have any contact with these parents so if something were to happen I wouldn't be able to let them know, we are also going away soon and won't be able to take him to school! AIBU to think this is really cheeky of the parents and that you shouldn't just assume another parent will take yours to school with no prior conversation at all!

My school would also be speaking to parents about the dangers of a child that age walking to school alone

Well there's a difference between the school permits it and this kid has permission from his parents. It's unclear if Dad's said walk to school alone Bob and then Bob's hanging around to walk in with OP or if Dad's said go over there to Bill's house Bob and walk with him. In which case, Bill not appearing might mean Bob has no idea what he should do.

The OP's school permits it.
So what your school would do is irrelevant.

I'd treat it as a safeguarding issue and tell the school. You can't ignore it

Strange people about man.

Unless OP tells us what the child actually said when they turned up on her doorstep 5 days in a row then any speculating is pointless. Only OP knows the full situation.

@gamerchick

🤣 was just stating the differences in schools, it is a safeguarding issue even if not illegal. You clearly love to just point out every Petty little detail in posts that you don’t agree with so I won’t be giving you the satisfaction after this one - enjoy your day :)

Well no one I'd getting in a car as they walk!!!!

I am very well aware of that, thank you - but why take an unnecessary risk with your child?

I'm DSL in my school. It's not a safeguarding issue as the child has permission to go to school on his own. The parents know, and the school have confirmed with the OP.

Yes I'd agree. Kid had said "it's fine Dad I'll walk with Billy and Billy's Mum". Dad should have checked but I'd say miscommunication rather than total CF!

I neither agree or disagree with any posts on this thread (though the ones from people who haven't read it properly are a bit tedious as are the squawks of "safeguarding" from people who know nothing about it)

Just tell the child not to call again in the morning and tel the teacher at the school as its a safe guarding issue

I'd be inclined the next to me he turns up on your doorstep to just stop everything and make a call to social services. They've abandoned thier kid, but without evidence, it's your word against theirs. If the kid is in your care when you make the call, they can't really deny it and action will be taken. What does suprise me is that it's taken a week of dealing with an abandoned child for you to even consider it a bit cheeky. It's out and out child neglect. Day 1 I would have been on the phone if they hadn't bothered to even ask first 🤷‍♀️

I’d ask my dp to leave later the next morning, wait outside and catch the neighbour and ask him what he was thinking abandoning his child like that, what if you weren’t home?? Tell him you will be away soon, and you need to parent your child. Take them to school from now on, my wife is busy enough in the mornings unless you’re offering to alternate and walk ours there every second day.

I would have to make sure they know to stop doing this so I didn’t think while away what if this child is waiting at our door. Do not tell them it’s legal, I find that hard to accept tbh.

I'd be reading the thread before making myself into an idiot by being the hundred and eighteenth person to say the same thing, but we're not all the same are we?

Yes!

Personally I think most people are being quite dramatic here. Some children at 7 can be fairly responsible to walk to school on their own. Especially if it is a relatively short distance. One of your children is probably in the same class and there has been a conversation between the children that they can walk to school together - so the parent has dropped the child off to call for their friend thinking it would be fine.

From your post you are not fine with it so in my opinion should have made arrangements to speak to the other parent or the school for them to contact the other parent.

Report this to the school immediately it's neglect

Don't let this become the default arrangement, even if you eventually meet the other parent and they ask you. What happens when your own child isn't in school one day? Having gone through the primary school years with 4 kids, I strongly advise against becoming a cheeky fuckers free childcare arrangement!

At 7, some kids do walk themselves to school, if it's very close by and no busy roads. I'd never have allowed it with my kids but some parents really are more negligent relaxed about child safety. So it could be the parents think it's okay to let him go by himself. I'd talk to the school because you really don't want this to become your responsibility by default.

yes I realise it shouldn’t be happening like this but the child is not a complete stranger- they’re a neighbour and your child’s classmate.

They are 7 and presumably can talk so why would your first port of call be the police when the child could tell you where they live and therefore you can make contact with the parents?? Or you could also speak to the school after drop off (which the OP has eventually done) if you don’t want to speak to your neighbours directly?

Have you posted this before? I read the same thing on here a month or so ago, and I can’t imagine there would be two parents who would be this cheeky 🙈

Exactly.

My daughter is 7, nearly 8, and many of her friends walk to school themselves. Sometimes, we bump into a solo friend who tags along with us. The plan for next school year is we walk her partway and she walks the last part herself/with friends.

OP hasn’t clarified how far it is, they have mentioned a “busy road” but no mention of a lack of crossing patrols, traffic lights etc, and mentioned that there is an alternative through ”woodland” but then later stated that it’s actually a path, presumably in an area with lots of other children walking to school.

My daughters park and stride for school goes through a similar area and it’s most definitely not unsafe. It’s literally full of kids attending the school. And you can see both ends of it from the road!

No that definitely wasn't me this is a new situation and I'm struggling to believe the cheek of it myself.

Just because a child isn’t yours it doesn’t mean you can’t behave with some care and consideration towards them. Not saying to let this situation carry on but I just don’t get people who think it’s acceptable to drop them off a police station when you know fine well what school they go to and could easily find out their address via child.

Whatever their parent has done wrong, have some consideration for the child and sort it out a bit less dramatically!