Senior school childcare

[WordsAndWorlds]

It's suddenly just dawned on me. What happens in Year 7-9 when they're still too little to just come home and be alone until we get in from work?

Do most senior schools offer afterschool clubs? I didn't think they did...

Year 7 isn’t little! It’s 11!

To be home alone at 11 for a few hours after a bad school day can be a lot especially if child has issues like bullying or detention and wants to discuss it. Have you a near by friend or relative that could be a drop in if I need to talk?

Im a cm and have 3 children who still check in when they have had a bad day o just want company. I've had them since babies they just call and say can I come in or knock. Parents are informed of course. don't charge for this but parents often send some biscuits, flowers now and then etc. I treat all my mindees like extended family and it doesn't matter how old they are.

They are not considered too little as a general rule.

How late will you be home? What time will DC be home? A couple of hours is fine imo.

I wondered about this - DD is an only child so she would literally be home alone for potentially 2-3 hours. One of the various reasons we are looking at private which seems a bit better on this score.

I’m planning a mix of after school activities, staying later at school in the library and doing some work, going to granny’s house, and me coming home mid afternoon and then working from home but being available if needed (I can always finish off work later in the evening). But I do think 11 is old enough to manage for a couple of hours by themselves, as long as there is back up in case of a problem.

shrely most just come home at secondary level?

Yrs 7-9 aren't too little to be left at home for 2-3 hours unless they have some form of disability or have not been brought up in an age appropriate manner.

They come home and stay until we get home from work. The only exception would be if I wasn't going to be home until past 6-7pm, then I would ask grandparents to pop by.

At ds's school they finish at 3.15pm but sometime he hangs round in the library/music room until 4.30pm.

Finish school 3.25, wait for bus, get bus, walk home from bus stop mine weren’t home til half 4. I usually got in by 6 at that stage. They’re not really left that long.

My dc's secondary school has a homework club in the library after school. There is a holiday club as well.

I'm also a cm and children tend to stay on with me through year 7.

They usually have LOADS to talk about after school, they're at a new school and there can be lots of friendship issues etc

It really helps them to have someone to talk to, make them a snack and just to have the company of the other kids.

Is a cm an option for you? They usually tail off by year 8 but like Jannier they're always welcome to drop by.

DS is in year 6. He comes home on his own and is alone for about 2-3 hours until I get home. At this age they should really be fine to do that.

Unless they have a disability that prevents them then they go home. Years 7-9 is not little. My dd went home on her own for 45 mins from year five.

We'd be home by 6pm, so 2.5 hours alone, school is only a 15 min walk away with no busy roads.

So is it the norm for an 11 year old to just come home and let themselves into the house and wait until parents back? I feel better if so...just felt like it was an awful thing to do! He's quite young but sensible for his age.

No family nearby and all friends going to a different school due to catchment re: sharing with other mums

I suppose for some of us that is something that simply never happened - I am a younger sister so was never home alone at that age and in fact we stayed at school (private) and did our homework until about 6pm. And less than an hour is not the same as up to 3 hours.

So being home alone after school is not part of my childhood. And we would have no back up, and it takes at least 45 mins for either of us to get home.

I find this sneering at parents being concerned about this if their DC are NT pretty unpleasant, tbh.

Just make sure they are sensible enough to get appropriate help if something goes wrong. I had a school friend come round because she got locked out when I was a kid, she let her Mum know where she was.

My DS is due to start high school in September & I'm going to keep him with his childminder for a good few months to see how things go. It's good company for an hour or so & time to chat about their day until we get home. Reassuring for me if nothing else!

I was never alone either, Weeping. It just seems really young to me...from about 15, fine. But if everybody else is doing this I do feel a little more reassured that it must be ok...

Yes, its absolutely the norm.

That said, my children do lots after school - sports/orchestra/play rehearsals etc, so they are often still at school til 5.30 or so anyway. And there's always the option of going to the library to do homework.
We're generally back in time to collect at 5.30 if necessary. I'd actually be more concerned in the winter about them walking home, alone, in the dark at 5.30, even though we'd be home by the time that they got back than I would be about them walking home at 4pm, in the light, with other school friends walking the same way and being alone at home for a couple of hours.

in fairness I only work 15 mins away from home (by car, he couldn't walk to me) so if I get him a mobile, I could be there in no time at all if there was a problem...

My dd starts secondary this year but no buses go to our village so we will have to pick her up and I'm not entirely sure how that will work if we are both at work all day