Siblings collecting from primary school age

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What age can siblings collect younger children at your primary School? Just interested as ours recently changed the rules due to a new head teacher and went from 14 to 16 so my 10 year old couldn't be collected by a 15 year old sibling but can leave alone in September 🤔 what's the rules at your kids school?

Ours can walk home alone from Yr4 because everyone lives within a small area. My 11 year old is allowed to pick up her sibling from lower years but I have to give permission.

At our school kids are never allowed to just go off alone.

They have to be picked up by a parent/guardian. If someone else's is picking them up the school has to be informed or they'll call you anyway to check before letting the child go

Not even in year 6?

Nope. Not at all. If they can't reach you to confirm someone else's is picking them up they put them into after school club until it can be confirmed

Not sure if it has changed since by dd's school used to keep reception to year 2 in the classroom and need to see who was picking them up before letting them go. Most were picked up by adults, but a few were picked up by siblings in high school.
Year 3 and up they were allowed to find their own parents but were told to come back if parents weren't there as expected. A lot of parents waited at the gates or bottom of the street instead of on the yard. Parents dined a slip yo hive permission for them to leave by themselves

That's mad. My 12 year old waits outside for my 10yo and they walk home together.

16 across the local authority for any pick up unless they are a parent. For example 14 year old mum with a baby in an ELC space.

In Scotland I know of 7 year olds that walk home from my kids class. Siblings can collect others and walk home too.

The parent/carer just lets the class teacher know which children can be let out on their own. After p4 parents don't need to tell the teacher their preference the children can leave, the staff don't really look to see if children have someone at that stage.

No idea but they can leave P4 on their own so age 8

Just checking is the rule definitely for school finishing time and not for appointments/being sent home etc.

If our kids are ill we must collect as they need to be signed out early but they are allowed to walk home by themselves if set free at home time.

It's definitely for collection

My 11 year old year 7 sometimes picks up his sister in year 3. The primary school kids can walk home from year 5.

..

Surely it’s up to the parent to determine if the child’s needs are met!!

& what on earth do the school know?
how do they know the parent isn’t just round the corner parking/waiting safely?

ludicrous!

what about an upper age limit? Are grandparents on zimmers and sticks suitable to fetch a bouncy energetic child? Or would they be better off with a 15 year old who could catch them?

or kids leave with parents that may not be safe - but they’ve left with an adult so it ticks the box!

…. I’d ask to see the school risk assessment and ask them to determine how they reached their decisions.

then invite the head round to “tea” and explain “a day in the life of” and give them a dose of reality !!

we’re in a three tier school system.

years 5-8 parents aren’t allowed within 100 yds of the school gate as the pavement is too narrow …. Nine year olds just pour out the gates into the road and are immediately crossed over by the deputy head teacher to walk along roads to their parents or home.

there’s no consideration given to the parents opinions. That’s just what happens. First week of September is impossible as parents stand in roads coming to terms with it and trying to see their children not play with traffic.

…. so I can’t see it being law !

I've witnessed them refusing to allow teens to collect their siblings (dressed in the local secondary school uniform)

My yr 4 and her friend walk home with my year 6 child. The year 6 has a phone. I’m not sure they’d be happy with my reception age child going with the year 6. Next year I plan on my year 7 child getting off the bus at thr primary school and walking home with her year 5 sister. The reception age child will stay in asc. As far as I know the school just go with the parents’ wishes. We are in Yorkshire btw. There seems to be no set rules you just talk it through with the school

Children are allowed to walk home alone from year 5 at my child’s primary. And year 5 and 6 children can take their year 3 and 4 siblings home with them! Though that isn’t common. Most of year 6 walk home alone though, and lots of year 7/8/9 come to pick up their siblings.

Year 6 children use to be able to come home with year 5 children that isn't even allowed now. This new head teacher seems very strict.

There were a couple of parents in school uniform themselves, and that must have blown the primary school staff's minds.

It’s over 16 UNLESS you’re the parent here

how many age 15 and under parents are there in your area???

There's no rules in UK law but each school should have it's own policy. This should be determined by local vicinity, practicalities etc. eg I work in an inner city school with no catchment area so kids can live a long way from school. This means we only allow Year 6 kids to leave school alone (if parents sign a permission form) But we are on the same site as a secondary school (many of whom we know because they passed through the primary feeder school) So we allow any older sibling from the secondary to collect any younger sibling from the primary. So a year 7 could collect their 6 year brother for example. You have to think about what is most practical for families. I guess if there is a negative experience then you are more likely to be stricter.

Another 16 here, but year 5 and 6 can leave alone with permission.

My DC has collected her younger sister on occasion since she was 13 (sibling was 10). Nobody at school has ever questioned it, but it's usually from after-school club so maybe they have different rules.

DC are allowed to walk home alone from school in Y5 so any problem with sibling collecting from class I would just tell her to leave alone and meet her sister at the gate.

The rules have always been 16 for our after school club as it's later pick up, also they don't allow year 6's to go home alone if they come back late from a school trip (6pm) must be collected by an adult.

Kids in juniors can be collected by any secondary age sibling. Kids in the infants they're a little fussier about but not much and there's no written rule.

...and the government wonders why fewer people want to have kids. "I know, here's a thing you'll want, bankrupt yourselves with childcare costs to raise the next generation of taxpayers that can fund our slushy gold plated civil servant pensions, but we won't help you back to work or a better income by having older siblings help with logistics"...