Let child take train alone

[1stTimeMummy3298]

So if my DD gets a place at HGABR (Harris Girls Academy Bromley) her journey will take a little while. First I'll drive her to Orpington station so no worries about that part as it's 5 minutes away from the school I work in so from there she'll have to take a 20 minute train journey and then a 10 minute walk to the school. She's 13 14 next moth. Do you think it's ok that I send her there alone because I have to be at work for 7:30 and her school starts at 8:25 and I can't see any other way of getting her there but she hasn't taken a train alone before so she's a little anxious.

It's perfectly fine providing she knows all the safety rules and I'm sure, as a responsible parent, you will have drilled them into her until they are second nature.

Lots of children in our area (I'm Kent too) travel 20 mins by train then walk 15 mins. It's natural to worry though.

There are so many school kids on the trains out of Orpington at that time in the morning, I highly doubt she'll be the only one to go to that school so she's unlikely to be alone. It's fine.

Absolutely fine... lots of children do similar

Thanks so much everyone for your replies, they've definitely made me a lot less anxious! Let's just hope I can ease her nerves as well 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

Most girls at DD's school have journeys of anything from half an hour to an hour and travel on their own from age 11 which includes arriving at Orpington station and then a ten minute walk, it is all quite normal.

Do couple of dry runs, then you will get a feel of the journey and how your daughter will respond.

There will be other pupils taking the train going to Dulwich College, Bishop Challoner in Shortlands and sometimes Grey Coats in Westminster.

If it helps some firms do a discreet mobile phone tracker system so you can dial in and see where she or he is if it will help to reduce your concerns. Our DD's used to have a half hour train ride to school and when they got there we expected a text to say so, if there was no text and no reply to a reminder text then they were tracked to see where they were.

Only once in 5 years was one of them in the wrong place!.