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?

That’s not how the world works. More fool you if you think it does.

In reality many dc don’t walk to and from primary because there’s often a sibling to collect so why pick up one and make the other walk? I don’t think it’s a massive issue re independence just a sign of the times.

mine didn’t walk to school until secondary as primary was a 45 minute walk (catchment but there’s an airfield you can’t cross so have to go round).

It should surely be a parental decision and depend on distance and route rather than age.
My mother never walked me to/from school but then we had lollipop ladies to see us across the road and everyone walked.

Unfortunately given the lack of driving ability from some of the parents of other children, I can understand why the school thinks as they do.

To actually ban those who are unfit to drive and place restrictions on SUVs would be badged no doubt as a 'war on the motorist'.

Summer term from Y3 here but I didn't allow either of them to walk home alone from the summer term of Y5.
Two busy roads to cross and I was still a nervous wreck until they got home safely.

No, my kids school comes out on to a path and there is no busy road

Confirmation from the LEA and SS that it’s not a school decision. They can only refer on specific concerns. One HT got a bollocking from SS for wasting their time on one memorable occasion.

The vast majority of schools are well aware of it and don’t even bother trying to persuade parents. They just hope their “policy” (which is actually only really a guideline) holds as it’s easier for them.

Only once in all that time did SS get involved, but it was part of a wider picture.

What power is it you think schools have that allow them to overrule parents on this matter?

At the end of the day the school has no legal right to refuse to release your child. If they think the child is abandoned or at risk of neglect they can contact social services (who will explain this to them).

Just challenge it @NortieTortie . Parents do it every year and the schools all back down.

They can refuse, I witnessed a teacher at my kids school refuse to let a teen pick up her sister because she was 15 not 16.

Let's say they refuse to release child. They call parent....parent says tough, I'm not making alternative arrangements. The school is stuck...their only option is to contact Social services and ask them to take the child. I can't imagine ss being best pleased with that

They can't actually enforce this.

You can insist

YANBU, this stuff should be at parents' discretion IMO, it's not a choice for the school to make. Having these blanket rules seems to imply that parents have no caution or common sense on this front.

SS won’t be pleased with the parents…

Where I live kids walk to and from school or get the bus from P1.

My own two got the bus which involved walking to and from the bus stop at either end from age 5. At the school end only the younger ones are supervised.

If it’s an unsafe request.

if it’s not then it’s the school they’ll be unimpressed with

Yr 5 here but I know some kids have walked home alone earlier so there is some flex. Maybe there would be less cars (and dangerous parking) if the school let more kids walk home alone. Would be a win for everyone!

So not, as you stated earlier, the schools choice.

The parents choice, (unless it’s an unsafe situation and safeguarding has to be involved ), as I said.

One school says from Yr5 with parental permission, but our Yr4 is allowed to walk out to the lollipop man (about 600yds along an off road path and private Rd) where we scoop her up before whizzing to next school for DD1. DD1 and 2 both walked from yr 3 at their previous schools, but no roads to cross.
Ultimately you know your child best. Most schools will speak to you on an individual basis

At our catchment school, they usually walk from Grade 1 onwards...so age 6. DS is at a school further away and I drive him to school (I also work there, so it's just convenience, really). I'll probably start dropping him off at the car park down the road to walk to school from the summer term onwards. It's only a few hundred metres but it's important for him to practise.
He'll probably take the train to secondary school from age 10 and he'll have to manage that by himself, too.

We're middle school system here, goes from parents collect and walk 150m home summer y4 to 9yo walking 1.2 miles by herself 6 weeks later. Bonkers! I do think it should be up to parents from about Y3/4 based on their own risk assessment as a parent.

My dc walked to and from school alone from the start of y 5. It's about half a mile away and across a road with a crossing. Takes about 15 minutes. The majority of schools that I have worked in have been the same. As long as they have written parental permission, they can walk to and from school.