Walking to school alone

[NortieTortie]

Just found out that my childrens' school's rules reg. walking to school alone is only allowed from year 6 and for the summer term only. This seems too late for me. They'll be walking to school and back in secondary school and I was hoping they'd get more than a few months practice at the school run. My niece's/nephew's school is from the summer term in year 5 and I think that's far more reasonable.

We live 0.1m away from school with one back road to cross, but it does get extremely busy during pick up/drop off. I'd be happy for them to do this from age 8 tbh.

AIBU?

How old are your children atm?

But ultimately

Thems the rules!

if you don’t like, go to another school

That does seem very late!
Its beginning of Yr5 (so 9yo) here. They have a practical road safety session at end of Yr 4, with a refresher at beginning of Yr5 and Yr6 in preparation for it.

Not a chance I’d be happy with my sensible 8 year old walking home alone

The very close road which gets very busy is probably a big part of why they have that rule!

if only 100m away. Does that mean they would also be coming back to an empty home?

It was year 4 , 20 years ago at my dcs school.

YANBU for wanting your child to develop some independence, especially as it’s such a short distance,m. However, schools usually have these rules to both ensure a safe journey home (which sounds like it wouldn’t be a problem for you), but also to make sure the child has someone at home looking after them. A lot of children walk home to empty houses and her home alone until their parents get home from work, and schools have a duty of care to mitigate that.

They can't police whether your child walks to school alone, only the leaving school alone. So let them practice on the way in until they are Y6.

Not their business. They can't force you. Ignore and do what's best for your family.

🙄

No, I'm out of the house from 9:30 to 2.

6 and 7 (8 at the end of the month). I have no plans to bring it up to the school, let alone change schools. Just thought it was very late!

Don't all/most schools experience the road outside being very busy though? There are a lot of cars but they're not speeding down it. It's at a stand still the majority of the time with all the parents/children crossing

At our school the kids are allowed to leave and arrive solo in year 5. They are also allowed to take younger siblings.

100m, no dangerous road to cross, I’d be happy with my sensible 8yr old doing that. I wouldn’t be happy with my less trust worthy 8yr doing it though, so depends on the child.

My 9 year old will walk 200m to school from where I drop her off and walks home from a local activity by herself in the evening once a week (she has a hi-vis vest for dark winter evenings)

It's beginning of y6 at our primary.

Y5 in dd's school. We have gradually built up walking to school on her own this half term, and will do walking home after the break. They are not allowed to take younger siblings and must still be collected if they have a club. This seems reasonable to me.
My friend's son's school changed it from Y5 to Y6 at the last minute and the kids were really disappointed.
I do think leaving it until the very last term is a bit late.

Very late to be leaving it, not in the best interests of the children who need to practice travelling independently on shorter routes before potentially having more challenging journeys in secondary. You could challenge the rule as its not enforceable but if you don't want to do that then let your children practice by walking to school alone.

Tbh I think they should say an age, not Year group. So it’s either 10 or 11 - or that say 11 but it opens up to the whole of yr 6 after Easter, so they all get a term’s practice before secondary. Or all in the term the turn 11.

An August born shouldn’t be allowed to walk to and from school a year younger than a Sept born - the age they judge as old enough should be roughly the same for all, or it makes not sense. It’s either safe at aged just 10 or it’s not.
(My view is not)

Our UK primary allowed it from the start of year 5, my sons current school allow it from compulsory schooling age, so 7.

The road outside my child's school is very unsafe. Lots of parking on the yellow lines, zigzags on and across the pavement, forcing children into the road. Last week a child on the pavement (within double yellow lines) was hit by a car that drove off. All of the cars doing this are dropping off/ picking up from school. The only way forward with so many shit humans driving cars is to create car free hours around schools.

The problem is that when it is appropriate depends a lot on the child, and some children are ready earlier than others. Mine is an August birthday, and walked with her friend (autumn birthday) from summer of year 5. Another friend with a spring birthday did not have the same road-sense and so she didn't walk with them until summer of year 6 - I think mum still saw her across the main road outside their house in year 7. It also depends on the route - clearly the child who lives in the next street to the school with no roads to cross is going to be safer than the one halfway across town.

I don't think our school had a "rule", although summer of year 5 was typical.

If you disagree strongly with the school, there's always the option of asking another mum to collect your child and take them as far as the gate. And I'm not sure what they can actually do about walking to school, as they can hardly turn them away for arriving without a parent. Do they actually insist every parent brings them into the playground, or do some get dropped on the road to walk in?

When I was nearing the end of primary, my mum got me to walk home 20 yards ahead of the rest of the family. That gave me a chance to practise a bit of independence, and she could also check I was being sensible.

The problem is, you're happy at 8 because you love really close. But a blanket "from age 8" won't necessarily be safe for someone like us who lives a mile away with at least two major roads (big lorries, buses)and a couple of quieter roads but when it's clear so people speed. And whilst you might have properly risk assessed your kids doing it, not everyone will.
So they put the age UP to protect the kids who don't just live across the road or have parents who have bothered to teach them to do it safely

The problem is, you're happy at 8 because you love really close. But a blanket "from age 8" won't necessarily be safe for someone like us who lives a mile away with at least two major roads (big lorries, buses)and a couple of quieter roads but when it's clear so people speed.

Which is why these decisions should be left to parents. Thankfully where I am in Scotland it is, there are no such rules. Mine walked from aged 7/8 with friends because he was more than capable and we are very close to the school with no main roads.

Yeah, sorry, I can see how that last bit might have been read. To clarify: I meant I'd be happy with my children specifically (or my eldest, at least) to do that journey from 8 years old. Not that the school should change it to 8, for exactly the reasons you said.