Year 2 walking to school alone

[justlikebuses]

Just a quick one:
Would you let your year 2 walk to school alone?
For context: school policy states only year 5 and above to walk home alone.
Child would walk a distance of 3/4 mile, crossing main road that is 75% manned by lollipop.

How old is year 2? If it's about 6-7 then no.

Child has just turned 7

No

No

No. We live 0.4 miles from school, no main roads to cross and mostly paths away from roads. My DS is year 1 (so 6, turning 7 in Sept) and there is no way I would let him walk to school alone anytime soon.

Our school policy is also year 5 to walk home alone and they expect you to drop them at the door in the morning. It would be raised as an issue if he was to arrive on his own

I would raise that as a safeguarding risk in the school I work in, if I heard about this in all honesty.

Absolutely not

No way.

Completely normal in Scotland but causes a hysterical reaction in much of England.

My two got the bus to and from school from P1 (age 5) and walked to the bus stop and back (at both ends) by themselves.

If this is the UK then most parents wouldn't consider it before Year 5, in line with your school policy.

No way.

No and if the school policy is only year 5 and above to walk home alone, why do you think they would be happy for a year 2 to walk to school alone? How would you even know they had got there ok?

We live 60m from the school, it’s in the same side of the road as we are about 7 doors down. I let older DS walk to school alone in Y4. Will let DS2 do the same next year. For what you’re saying I would say it’s far too young.

We are in Scotland. Schools keep their beaks out of parenting decisions like this. There is no policy about parents having to drop off, pick up, or a set age/year when children are allowed to walk alone.

My kids all brought themselves home and took themselves to school right from the start BUT we are literally three doors from school and I can see right into the playground from the house.

Three quarters of a mile is quite far, I would have allowed my kids to start doing this at around age 9, assuming there were lots of other children and families taking the same route.

No way

I only live 100m from the school and the road that needs to be crossed is a little village lane but people still scoot down it fast. DS is in year 3 and would love to go alone but I wouldn't allow it yet. Maybe in another year from now.

I started walking alone at start of year 5 (or 3rd year junior as we called it then). One mile plus a busy road to cross but green man controlled.

Christ, no. Obviously.

Is this your child or are you worried about someone else’s?

This isn't my child by the way. I'm just trying to get a sense check as the parent of said child will be in charge of mine at some points (access arrangements)

I am in Scotland and this is not the done thing here at all. Most kids get walked to school to at least P4.

Out local lollipop man has been off sick for a few weeks with no replacement - would you like a 7 year old crossing a main road on their own? I absolutely would not.

Schools in England don’t actually have the ability to enforce any walking to/from policies. Their only option is to raise safeguarding concerns if the walk is a genuine issue. 99% of the time they end up acknowledging that they don’t have the power to make the call and it’s actually a parental decision (20 years working in schools).

However, it’s an impossible question to answer because nobody here knows the child.

DD1 could have done that at 5 and would have been one of the most capable and responsible children making the walk.
DD2 was late for school at 15 once as she got sidetracked looking at daffodils… At a younger age she could get lost going from her bedroom to the bathroom and it would have been utterly neglectful to leave her alone outside at any point.

Also depends on the road.

Also depends on the area. If lots of kids walk then it’s safer than if they’re the only child that walks solo.

it’s an impossible question to answer because nobody here knows the child.

It's also impossible as everyone's walk to school is different. A walk along a main but not very busy road with good pavements and hardly any other roads to cross, with friends or other people walking to school is very different from a route involving very busy roads with lots of traffic, multiple crossings and nobody else walking in the same direction.

Yeah as a pp has said, if the lollipop man or lady is off they’re often not replaced. A tree fell on our lollipop lady’s head and (unsurprisingly) she was off for months. No one filled in for her. So if it’s a busy road it would be a definite no from me until at least year 5.

How did you feel about it? Not worried at all? Anything can happen with them while walking on their own to and from school... Did you ask them how they feel about it? Did they like it?

We live dead opposite our school, but when you cross the road you have to walk around the other side to the entrance. On the basis I cannot see him walk between home and actually into the school doors, I have politely declined his request to walk on his own. He will be 7 in December, his response was "how about I video call you from my tablet?!" 😂😂😂