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Parenting

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Original poster

When to walk to school alone?

21 replies

Snowdrop30 · 01/05/2021 22:42

DS is 11 and it's a 20 min walk to school, mostly through backstreets but with a couple of busy roads (with crossings). WWYD?

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Thatwentbadly · 01/05/2021 23:49

Let them walk. Are they going to secondary school next year?

Mapless · 01/05/2021 23:54

I'd walk half the way with your dc, then meet halfway on the home journey. It gives them a bit of security and then you can phase out where you meet them.

lorisparkle · 02/05/2021 00:07

I started off with ds making the decision about when to cross the roads and then let them go ahead whilst I followed on behind. Finally they did it all independently. With all my ds they started walking home the summer term of year 5 as it is lighter. Getting them more experienced in crossing roads independently before secondary school is really useful.

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BookShark · 02/05/2021 00:11

Can he meet someone partway and walk together? DS has been doing this since Christmas - we live too far from school to walk the whole way, but I drop him off at his friend's house each morning and they walk in together. Seems like a nice compromise rather than doing it totally on his own.

BookShark · 02/05/2021 00:11

Well, obviously not actually Christmas. But whenever they were actually allowed back in for spring term!

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Snowdrop30 · 02/05/2021 07:34

I've been doing partway as @Mapless suggests, in prep for high school next year. Just had a little wobble about whether it was too early, given that it's twice as long as his other friends (who are coming from another direction, so no possibility of meeting up).

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Feckfeckfeck123 · 02/05/2021 08:46

I've just had a huge tantrum from my 11 year old about this. All his friends walk to and from school and feels he should be allowed to as well. Problem is the friends live in another area and closer to school so he would be walking alone. Even if he had a friend to walk with he has no sense of danger and doesn't look properly before crossing a road (currently being assessed for ASD) so I wouldnt be happy about it.

I think aslong as your DS can cross busy roads safely, has a friend to walk with most days and keeps to main pavements rather than backstreets I would let him. I was walking alone from year 5 and loved that time to think and observe.

Toty · 02/05/2021 09:03

Mine was 8, but that was with friends and a very short walk. At 11 he was off to the swimming pool with his mates on the bus, I'd be pretty concerned if an 11 year old couldn't walk to school alone.

KaleSlayer · 02/05/2021 09:10

Does he want to walk by himself? Is he sensible? If so then I would let him.

My kids walked by themselves from aged 10 towards the end of year 5 but it was only a 10 minute walk and not busy roads.

The novelty soon wore off and they often have a lift to secondary school/college. 🙄😂

minniemomo · 02/05/2021 09:13

From 9 mine went alone. From 10 they took the public bus

Earlybird00 · 02/05/2021 09:17

In a similar situation although my DS not too bothered about walking from school independently. Currently he walks home with a friend and their mum. It takes me 20mins (walking to collect DDand friend) and them 45mins as they chat constantly. I worry that with friends they get so involved in conversation that road safety goes. Also thinking about next year for secondary school letting him take his mobile for emergencies but I don't want him completely immersed in it on the way to and from school. A friend recently mentioned 'clever never goes ' a different slant on stranger danger so we have been talking about that as well.

HelenHywater · 02/05/2021 09:20

Yes I think summer term of Y6 is the right time to start. My dcs just did it naturally at that age.

Echobelly · 02/05/2021 09:23

Yup, he should walk because presumably he'll have to get to secondary alone.

DS (9, Y5) is walking home 3 days a week with nieghbouring friend as I want him to to be prepared for secondary school. The walk is also 20 mins with a few crossings.

Chasingsquirrels · 02/05/2021 09:24

Mine were walking (together) from when ds2 was in yr 3 at the latest, ds1 would have been yr 6. I had to collect them.
I used to drop them off near to school on my way to work, but didn't work Fridays and they'd walk on their own then.
When ds1 went to secondary in yr 7 ds2 then yr 4 was walking to school on his own, and home on his own from Easter when I told school I wouldn't be collecting any more.
They are now yr 13 & yr 10 so this isn't decades ago.
Small village, about 8min walk. One (not major, but traffic at school time) road to cross.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 02/05/2021 09:24

It really depends on the road. I was fine with DD walking from town centre to her old school at 9yo.

We now live opposite her new school. The parents parking on our side of the road on the pavement, reversing out of side streets etc make me weary. A shame, because she should be able to. There's a lollipop lady for the main road.

NotOnMute · 02/05/2021 09:30

Our school allows it from Y5, and I started off with occasionally (once I was happy with her road crossing) in Y5 autumn term, and am now up to twice a week by herself. It’s backstreets, one rat-run and one big road with a very awkward crossing (often traffic goes through on the green man, or blocks the crossing).

My aim is to have her travelling independently on foot, tube, train and bus (just locally, not intercity!) by Y7, so she’s ready for secondary school. That plan worked out well for my older DC.

lorisparkle · 02/05/2021 09:59

I do think the key is 'training'. I spent a long time with all ds, deciding on the safest route, discussing all the safety rules, and checking their understanding.

Sometimes going with a friend is not necessary the safest. Ds3 had to stop a friend from crossing the road without looking properly and luckily he has the confidence to do this.

merryhouse · 02/05/2021 10:11

I told my son I'd let him walk by himself once I'd seen him walk all the way being sensible with the roads. (Both of them had a tendency to walk along the kerb, for some reason.)

We spent quite a while going as far as the biggest road together - I'd then veer off to Tesco while he carried on

I think he spent most of the summer term in year 6 going by himself. Some of his friends were leaving by themselves too at that point, but iirc he didn't seem to consider that an issue.

Chelyanne · 02/05/2021 12:16

I was reluctant to allow our eldest daughter to walk alone but my hand was forced when I had an op on my foot and couldn't drive. She was 13, dh walked with her a couple of times while he was off work to help and then she did it alone after that. She would walk straight there and back with no issues, now she's 15 and walks with friends after school so out a little longer.
I would not let my primary age children walk home alone at all.

CakesOfVersailles · 02/05/2021 12:21

Depends on the route and child.

I would say 11 years old is absolutely fine for a 20 minute walk. You may be happier with it if your child has a mobile phone in case of emergency.

In my area kids walk home alone from about 9 or 10, a bit younger if they have an older sibling or neighbour walking with them.

SleepingStandingUp · 02/05/2021 12:23

@Chelyanne

I was reluctant to allow our eldest daughter to walk alone but my hand was forced when I had an op on my foot and couldn't drive. She was 13, dh walked with her a couple of times while he was off work to help and then she did it alone after that. She would walk straight there and back with no issues, now she's 15 and walks with friends after school so out a little longer. I would not let my primary age children walk home alone at all.

The problem if you go from having to be walked there and back in July to catching buses etc on your own in September, that's a massive leap.

Op our school won't release unless to an adult until yr6 and would be calling parents in if they were walking themselves in at 8 like some posters have done so I don't think yabu.

Can you do a few trial runs where he knows you're 200 yds behind for the bit you normally walk him, then from a corner etc so that he's walking alone for the last term

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