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Education

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Original poster

At what age did you/will you/would you let your children go to school unaccompanied?

46 replies

emkana · 12/09/2004 19:37

Apparently teachers in Germany ask the parents to stop taking the children to school when they are seven years old. Strikes me as rather young! My dd1 is only three, though, so I don't know how I'll feel when she's older. Seeing people walk past my house every day it seems as if parents here take their children to school all through primary school.

OP posts:

firestorm · 13/09/2004 19:42

Cam, you are right, i really should do that more often as i get so little exercise otherwise i do park at my mums house a few times a week (which is 10 minutes away from school) but in the mornings its hard to get motivated, afternoons are ok but it cuts down on the amount of time the children get between getting in & bedtime (which is quite short as it is) hope fully when (if) we move the school will be within walking distance.

Bozza · 13/09/2004 20:21

Don't know really yet. We have middle schools so will not be taking DS to middle school (don't think it will be the done thing) and he'll be 10 then. But it is about 3/4 mile walk with a busyish main road to cross(although pelican with lollipop lady). The primary school is only about 100 yards (if that) so ideally would be a good idea to break him gently in his last year there I think. But will have to see if I can trust him to supervise DD who will be 6 then.

tigermoth · 14/09/2004 07:26

I'd really like my oldest ( age 10, in year 6) to walk back alone from school - a 25 minute downhill walk on residential roads. However, I can't expect him to look after his brother aged 5, near the roads and I doubt the school would be happy with it either, so someone picks up both boys.

I don't know at what age I'd feel ok about letting ds1 and ds2 walk back alone together. It's one thing looking out for yourself, another thing looking out for a much younger sibling.

I would definitely expect ds1 to make his way to and from secondary school alone.

roisin · 14/09/2004 11:04

I completely agree Tigermoth: Generally I feel you're on very dodgy ground asking any child to be responsible for another one, no matter what their age. This happened to me as a child, and I really resented it.

Also certainly my boys are more likely to be sensible and responsible apart than together!

Bumblelion · 14/09/2004 11:24

My eldest DD has just started secondary school. It has two entrances - one is 10 doors down the road from me and the other is 10 doors up the road from me. My garden backs onto the school grounds and, if she climbed the tree house and jumped over the fence, she would be in the school grounds, although this is not how she gets to school!

The first 2 days I took her and collected her from school as I was off work but last week she made her own way to school. I felt a bit strange about this, but there are no buses/trains to catch, no roads to cross and she can walk it in about 1 minute.

I never let her walk to school in year 6 although the junior school she attended is just across the road from the entrance to her new school. There is a crossing lady who is there come rain or shine but because I had to take my son into the infants school I had to walk past the junior school to get to the infants school.

My son (who is 7.5) asks when he will be allowed to walk to school and I told him there is no point until he starts high school as he will still be in the junior school (which he has just started) when my youngest DD starts the infants school.

mumeeee · 14/09/2004 11:54

DD1 and DD2 started walking to and from school in year five aged 10, DD3 is dyspraxic so she was not alloed to do this untill the last term of year six aged 11.5. The primary school wher they went did not allow any child under to go home with out an adult.

meea · 14/09/2004 12:10

Age 11 in preperation for having to catch the bus to secondary school.
I remember when my son started junior school the head teacher said that none of the children in his school were old enough to walk home by them selves and to be honest I agree with him.Children can't judge the speed and distance of traffic until they are at least 7 or 8.
Could'nt imagine letting my 6 year old walk home on her own.

jura · 14/09/2004 12:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

cartrefle · 14/09/2004 13:05

My ds is 8 years old & now walks to and from school some days without an adult. However it is only a five minute walk, or less by bike & it's completely pedestrianised - lucky us!!

cartrefle · 14/09/2004 13:06

My ds is 8 years old & now walks to and from school some days without an adult. However it is only a five minute walk, or less by bike & it's completely pedestrianised - lucky us!!

cartrefle · 14/09/2004 13:06

oops didn't mean to post twice!

oxocube · 14/09/2004 13:11

Mine are almost 9 and almost 7 and they often walk to school (together) without me. I see them across the road which is about 10 mtrs from our front door and they have about a 200 mtr walk to school so its not far at all.

runragged · 14/09/2004 20:20

dd who is 4.5 has just cracked riding a bike with no stabilisers. She seems to think that once she is really good on it I will let her walk to school!! That'd be right! Anyway I asked her how she would cross the road on her own (there are three) expecting her to be stumped but after much thought she said "very carefully"! Honestly kids now days!

Pagan · 14/09/2004 20:43

I was taken to school on my first day by my mother and walked there and back every day since. Every other kid in the village was the same, even the ones who had to walk about a mile and a half and cross the main road (lollypop man provided).

I'll probably get shot for saying this (she ducks out of the way ) but I think there is too much pampering and panic these days. Yes I know there is much more traffic on the road but a lot of it is probably a knock on effect of driving the kids to school. My SIL quoted one instance where parents would turn up 30 minutes before school was due out just so they could get the closest parking space to the gate.

Have kids become less sensible over the years or is it the parents who have become more paranoid??I'll probably be paranoid when mine goes to school but I'm determined that they grow up to be independent and confident in themselves and can relate to Twink's comments.

Miaou · 14/09/2004 21:02

I walked to school on my own from the age of seven - I crossed several very quiet roads, then there was a lollipop lady for the main road. My own children have walked to school on their own from being five - but our situation is rather different here! They walk across two fields and over a stile to get to school. I do take and collect them in bad weather though. This term I have been working in the school every morning and the kids are seriously unimpressed at being "accompanied" to school!!

Prettybird · 15/09/2004 08:53

I'm with you Pagan!

smellymelly · 15/09/2004 09:46

I'm so suprised at all the really young children who walk to school on their own, aged 7?

I would have thought aged 11 was ok, I wouldn't be happy if I didn't know for sure if Ds had got there ok, until he was at least 11, (preferably 15!!)

I'm dreading the school run next term, when I have dd and baby twins to get out the house as well, but I wouldn't let ds walk. We don't live far, and I would trust him to cross the road, as he has brilliant road sense, he didn't even run into the road when he dropped his ball the other week.

It would be the nutters and weirdos I wouldn't trust - yes I'm probably over paranoid, but I would never want it to happen to me or mine because I couldn't be bothered!

mears · 15/09/2004 22:52

My DD's primary school is 10 mins away walking distance. I run her to school because we are never organised in the morning. I let her walk home on her own last year (age 10yrs) but she was distressed by being 'stared at' by older boys in a car who also shouted at her. However this year she has walked home a few days without incident. She will be 11 yrs old in 2 months time. I need to actually ecourage her to go to and from school on her own, but next year she will start secondary school which is next door to us. Will wait till then.

80sMum · 15/09/2004 23:41

I wouldn't advise sending a child to school on their own at the age of 11 simply because they seem 'old enough.' What matters is whether or not they have any road sense. A child of 7 can quite safely walk alone (as indeed I did as a child) provided they have sufficient experience of dealing with any situations that they might encounter and know how to deal with them. My parents didn't have a car, so we walked everywhere and by 7 I was fully clued up on crossing the road and finding safe places - and my mother drilled me about what to do if ever anyone followed me or did anything else that I wasn't comfortable with. It's not enough to let them loose at 11 if they've always been driven everywhere. They'd be more likely to get into difficulties than a confident 7 year old. I think going in pairs is a good idea but wouldn't advise a larger group. Groups of children tend to show off and behave more recklessly than when in pairs.

Indiap · 16/09/2004 17:17

Oh my god! Mine are ten and nearly eight and would not dream of it, school only three mins away but live on extremely busy road, which she nearly died crossing one evening attempting to go to cubs for first time on her own (which is opposite) kind of put us back some......

susanmt · 20/09/2004 15:43

My dd1 will start school next August ages 5 and a half. She'll get the school taxibus from the top of our drive to travel the 13 miles to the local school. The little girl who lives 'next door' (1/4 mile away) is very excited about this as she goes on her own at the moment.

All the kids that go to our local school either get the bus from age 4/5 or walk on their own. But we are in a pretty remote/rural area where things like this still happen! Thank goodness .

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