What age do you allow your children to make their way home from school alone?

[LadyMaryChristmas]

Ds is 13. He'll need to take a tram, then a bus. The stop is across a main road and around a corner from our house. He's sensible most of the time and stopped to help an old lady last week after she fell over in the street. It will be OK, won't it?

God yes he will be fine, I would say depending on the journey most children should be able to go to/from school on their own once in yr5/6 so age 9 upwards?

At DCs school they can go home on their own from year 5.

Jeeze, I really need to loosen those apron strings!

Thank you

Of course My in-laws both worked full-time at 14... I try to remember that when I'm making similar decisions for my 14yo..

They first did it in Year 5. In a group. Year 7 on their own.

I'm sure he'll be fine. I think we started going to and from school without adults in attendance when we were still in primary - there were 3 of us going together so it's a bit different, so it's a bit different.

If you show him you've got confidence in him, he'll feel more confident himself.

dd has been getting bus since September (when she started secondary) she has been fine but I was a nervous wreck

Thank you He's doing a trial run tomorrow as I have to go somewhere at the end of the week. I think I'd rather he wasn't sitting at home by himself for 2 hours waiting because he'll use my laptop!. I'd rather he waited at school but he's having none of it.

ds is in yr 5 and walks to and back from school , about a mile .No buses or anything though ..he wouldn't have a clue how to do that ..cos he's never had to I guess.

It's nerve wracking. I remember feeling like this when I left him in the house so that I could go to the shop. I know he'll be OK, it doesn't stop me though.

He'll be fine. First year of secondary 11 year olds wouldn't (and shouldn't in my opinion) wait at school to be picked up, they'd go home on the bus/train/walk. Even the year 5/6 primary kids make their own way home. You need to let go (meant in a nice way!!)

I know. I'm having visions of him still being at home at 30 and expecting me to take him to work!

You sound lovely LadyMary!

My youngest brother is 14 years younger than me, sometimes i,d go straight from qork to pick him up from school.

He was14/15 at the time! Mortified he waa .

Was ^, phones doing me head in!

I quite like collecting him really. When he's at home he uses the laptop and I'm busy so it's nice to spend some time just chatting to see how his day's been over a hot chocolate. I know he needs to do this himself though. He has a key, he has some cash and he has a phone. The bus stop isn't far from home so he should be OK as long as he doesn't read on the bus as it makes him feel sick.

I should get off to bed. Thank you for making me see sense.

At 14 I went Interrailing around Europe for a month with 3 other kids and one adult. We walked around alone me and my friend without mobiles etc in Paris, London ,Amsterdam never having been to any of them before . I went to school and back with my little brother from 7-8y and shopping for my mom , to friends houses etc. I did live in a smaller city though . 13 y can do the school journey by themselves . I'm think at 11/12 I'll let DS (8 soon) go by himself since that's when his little sis will start school elsewhere .

Has he done the same journey with you a few times?

My DD started doing this alone when she was 11 but she had gone with me quite a lot. She had to do things like buy the tickets and work out which train platform etc

I'd love to go interrailing.

He's done the same journey every day since June (we moved house). Ok, I'll stop fussing.

I came over from Scandinavia to England to go to a scouts camp . I really got the travel bug then :) . I think my parents were very brave to let me go for a month! They probably would have not been too happy about us walking around by ourselves though but we were sensible and resourceful , could read a map and speak English so we were fine! I do worry about my DS and will be nervous to let him go anywhere alone I'm sure.

My ds has been coming home on his own and getting himself to and from his swimming lessons after school since the start of Y5 (and he's one of the younger ones in the year so he wasn't long 10 at that point). He's now in Y6 and he happily gets on the local mainline trains to come and meet me after work at a very big London station where I'm usually standing waiting at the barrier though he'd be more than capable of continuing the journey by tube to my office if need be.

He really likes the fact I trust him and it has made him both confident and sensible (on the whole!).

He's just sent me a text; he's on the bus and has remembered everything!

I'm going to have to hide this, I'm sorry. He doesn't like me starting threads on here about him.

You need to name change then.and stop telling him what you post on mumsnet. It's none of his business . Assuming you don't know anywhere here in RL or you have suitably anonymised your posts