DD no longer allowed to walk from school.

[TheWonderhorse]

DD is 9 and has been walking from school to a car park just off the grounds (not the official school car park but closer). She's been really wanting to walk home but we compromised at this for now and would work up to that gradually. I signed a consent form to permit them to release her.

So this morning the school sent a letter out saying that they've had a rethink to all parents, and from Monday only Year 6 children are to be allowed to leave the classroom without a parent.

DD is Year 4 but the oldest in her class, meaning we won't be allowed to start this again for 17 months. AIBU to ask the head to reconsider? I know they can't really refuse to let her out, but I don't want to be a dick. I just feel like DD is being held back for no good reason at all. We have this covered and didn't need the school to intervene.

IABU, school know best.
IANBU it's up to the parent to judge what's safe for the child.

England is nuts about this sort of thing.

the school don’t actually have the power to do this.

where I live in Scotland it’s up to parents to make these decisions and many walk to and from school from P1

Our school wouldn't allow it for year 4.

The school will have a reason. And it may relate to protecting one particular child so they will not be able to discuss that in detail with you. It may be that they can see no other way of protecting this child.

@MajorCarolDanvers it's insane. How would these parents cope with putting children on school buses which are also public transport? Very very usual around here.

Completely agree. My own two got the bus - walking to and from the bus stop at either end from P1.

You're not being unreasonable at all, it's a frustrating and as yet unexplained rollback. My daughter is also 9 and we are also in the process of me not picking her up directly outside the school gate so I get where you're coming from. There is absolutely fuck all wrong with what you're doing.

The poll is 51% in my favour?

That wouldn't prevent them in any way from explaining the reason for the change of policy? Schools manage to communicate in generalities all the time.

That’s odd. Other kids shouldn’t be prevented from walking outside the school with their parents approval. If there’s a danger the police should be involved and parents informed.

I was reading about grooming gangs in Glasgow. You might not be so keen to let them walk alone if you lived there.

Maybe parents in England need to be protective.

51% say she is not being unreasonable. It is a long way from EVERYONE

When mine were at school the school had to implement the same rules due to a couple of incidents.

I would imagine that the school have a reason to change their stance on this.

I'm in Wales. I don't know if there's any difference, as far as I'm aware there isn't any law and she's over the NSPCC minimum.

Times have definitely changed from when I was at school.

I was walking to and from school on my own at the age of 7 (10 minutes, no roads to cross). At 9 I was walking to a middle school that was 30 minutes away across a main road and then across the school road which was less busy. All of us walked to school on our own or with friends.

I appreciate this was in the 1970s and the roads were less busy, but this refusal to let 9-year-olds walk home alone is absolutely nuts! What do they think will happen? Teach them good road sense and to report any flashers or pesterers and they'll be fine. Even though we were warned occasionally that there was a man in a long coat who followed girls, or wanted them to get in his car, I never encountered anyone from 7-11 when I then started to get a public transport bus to school on my own.

As for the OP, it sounds as though they live five minutes from the school so this makes even less sense.

I am just saying as there seems to be a bit of mocking English parents that it is very easy to be dismissive about children being walked home with their parents. My seven year old won't be walking home by herself for quite a while. We have too many gangs of men hanging about for it to feel safe.

I live in Glasgow. What grooming gangs are these?

Please don't say stupid shit like that. It makes Londoners look ridiculous.

Perhaps considering they have no control over her turning up in the morning, give her the compromise of being dropped off in the car park then and having the independent walking stretch then? Its just the afternoon she'll have to drop until year 6?

Sorry it was Dundee.

https://news.sky.com/story/romanian-grooming-gang-convicted-of-sexually-exploiting-women-in-dundee-13286068

I also wonder what would happen if they kept your DD at school. Could you sue for false imprisonment? There is no law stopping chidren being out alone at any age.

Every area is different, so the risks will need to be weighed up but both my children have been walking to/from school by themselves since age 8 (P4).

Start by asking the school if there is a specific reason or risk meaning that they have changed their mind on this.

If it's the behaviour of a few children, then they need to address that with them, not penalise them all.

I think building small steps to independence like walking to school are so important for children and it's sad to see the school taking such a hard line, unless there is a good reason.

Also in Scotland, big place and we are very far away from Glasgow however kids walk home from p4 which is about 8, all 4 of my kids did it, perfectly fine and safely usually groups of kids who lived in the same area would walk together and there would be parents with younger children about as is the norm at that time of day. Waiting until y6 seems a bit late tbh.