8yr old trusted to go into school by himself from playground....

[Mobly]

Very inarticulate thread title, brain not working properly this morning.

Would really like your opinions on the following scenario:-

Yesterday I was asked to take my nephew (8yrs old) to school. Both dn & ds1 (reception) have same start time of 8.40. Sister & I agreed I would take dn to his playground (where they wait for doors to open) but rather than wait & watch him go in, I'd leave him there, with his friends, and carry on up to the reception building to take ds1 in, rather than being late.

Dn is sensible & was fine with this.

Bumped into an aunt this morning who acted all horrified at leaving an 8th old to go in by himself. She mentioned jimmy saville.

I'm pretty sure I'm right in thinking it was ok to leave him (& all was fine) but what do you think?

Aunt is a hysterical peeedo-spotter.
8 year old was in the playground with friends at a busy time of the day, not left loitering in a park on his own at midnight.
How old are the aunt's children? Is she very over-protective of them?

Well at our school once they are in year 3 parents arent allowed into the playground so you have to drop them at the gate and leave.
Seems perfectly acceptable to me.

She never had children.

Hysterical paedo spotter

The child is statistically more in danger from an uncle, or another close male relative. Tell her to put that in her pipe and smoke it.

you wouldn't be allowed in the playground at my school

odd lady

I used to take myself to school 2.5 miles across London at that age.

Nothing wrong with leaving in the playground!

Does the aunt think jimmy saville was prowling the playground?? Odd woman

I do exactly this with my 8 and 6 year olds.

er that is the routine at our primary school. Yrs 3,4,5,6 all dropped off in playground until whistle goes then they line up to go in. A few parents wit and chat, but not many. There is a teacher by the gate though welcoming pupils into school (making sure none sneak back out!)

Not a problem at all. My 9 year old dd in yr 5 walks down a short lane patrolled by lollypop lady and then into playground. Most kids of her age do it. Just ignore the silly old bat!

Gosh, i have been know to drop my two (9 & 6) off in the playground and leave when i have to get to work early. After all the playground is supervised.

Your aunt presumably has no children?

Well it seems we're all in agreement & dsis & I aren't negligent mothers after all

Why do I always doubt myself?

She mentioned jimmy saville I think you need to tell aunty that he is dead - ok

I was going to ask - why are you even asking about this?

IVY

Your aunt is batshit. Ignore. He is at school, what the feck does she think happens at playtime/lunchtime?? I'd be more worried about an 8 year old that couldn't do that or the parent that wouldn't let them.

This is the policy at my DC's school for yr 1,2,3,4,5,6 from September. For reception from after the first few weeks (once they've had a chance to settle in)and for nursery from January.

No-one has ever been abducted from the playground by Jimmy Saville.

we arent allowed in the playground at all even when they are in P1 aged 4! My 2 get out the car in the school car park and go ahead by themselves to the gates (my 2 are age 6 and 8) as they dont even want me to walk with them.

Utterly ridiculous. My 8 year old walks to school on his own from my house to his school, and back again at the end of school too.

ivykaty.

Calmingmiranda, my head's all over the place at the moment (single mum, 3dcs, 8wks, 3 & 4) I needed some confirmation that I'm not an irresponsible aunt/mother.

Molby - just to clarify, its your aunt that is as nutty as a fruit cake and you and your other relation are very sensible people, partly due to the fact that you look after the children well and are upstanding mothers but mostly because you know that JS is dead

Congrats on the baby and doing it alone

Thanks ivykaty

I don't do the school run very often thank god, but when I do, I chuck my 10 and 8 yo out about 30 yds from school and they walk the last distance on their own.

Luckily I don't believe in ghosts, so I think they are safe from Jimmy Savile

I should make it clear, I do stop the car before chucking them out.

My brother travelled by train to school at the age of 8 ON HIS OWN!! It involved a five minute walk to the station, a five minute train journey and a walk of nearly a mile from the station to his school including crossing quite a busy road - admittedly at a set of pedestrian lights. I think your aunt would probably have reported my Mum to SS. Admittedly it was nearly 20 years ago but JS was alive then in fairness.

His choice by the way, he wanted to do it. He did it accompanied a few times and then went off by himself although I suspect my mother followed him on a couple of occasions