What age do you drop kids off at the school gate?

[fluffymummykins]

Our Daughter is 8 and is going into year 4 in a few weeks. Our other child starts school at the same time at different schools. My husband and I are disagreeing about how to work drop offs. I was wondering what age is acceptable to drop a child off at the gates and watch them from the car walking in?

I would say year 4 would be ok to do that. The school I teach at allows them to walk to/from school with parents' permission from year 5.

Year 4, absolutely fine. My dd and her friend would take themselves to and from school at this age - admittedly just around the corner - 150m and no roads to cross!

I did this occasionally with DS from Year 4 and all of the time from the last term of Year 5.

Often it depends on the school. Some schools like parents to take the children into the school up to a certain age.

My eldest is going I to year 4 in September, and she has walked herself to the playground from the middle of last year.

I watch her cross a road at a zebra crossing and walk the last 500yards into the school, and then I leave and take my others to school.

One suggestion was dropping her off, getting her to go to the shelter in the playground (visible from the road) while we turn the car around (the school is on a cul-de-sac) and so as we drive back past the school we can see that she is in safely. This is still hotly debated between us though!

We have to drop our children off at the gate from reception!

We live nearly next door to the school and my DD (8) usually wants to walk to school herself and I leave later with DS (5)
She has been doing this since she was 7 and at first I'd watch her cross with the lollipop man and then go in the school gates.
If she is a sensible 8 she'll be fine OP.

We are never allowed in the playground so have always left them to go in the gates by themselves

My dcs school don't allow unaccompanied dc in the playground until they're year five.

They had to bring something in because the really little dc were being dropped and left but I feel year 4 and up is fine.

I've done this with DS1 & 2 since both were in year 3. They were fine. I'm not sure any parents walk them past the gate to be honest.

Wow at our school a lot of reception children get dropped off and some even walk with other children - no parents to be seen .

Our school has no rules for this which I find disappointing .

No parents allowed in our playground. Not even on the first day of P1. So I think your DC will be fine.