Let child walk to school?

[outthereandbeyond]

We live 400 meters from school (2 min walk). My daughter is in Y3 (just turned 8) and I’m wondering if she can just walk to school by herself.

we live on a quiet road, she’s have to cross once next to a speed bump where cars go slow. In mornings there are loads of people walking to svhool and work, a few cars (15mph limit) with some drivers rushing to get kids dropped off.

my daughter is sensible. She looks at the road - honestly I’m more worried about kidnapping than anything.

is it too soon to let her walk without me? I think we’d be the only ones to do it as no one wants to be ‘the first’ to allow it. I am not quite ready to do it… but in next few months I think.

she needs picking up though. School won’t let them walk home alone.

Why though?

Can you not take her yourself?

No I think it's far too young. Quiet road or not, they don't have full danger awareness. Plus she still has to cross a road and very busy with lots of people doesn't make it any safer - in fact it could cause more danger. I don't know what your personal situation is, whether you have younger kids to take care of, but I enjoyed every second of the short walk to school. I miss it now as it was a time we had a lot of nice chats.

Y3 is too young.
Y5 onwards is the right age. Teachers would spot this btw.

I work in school, rough area, and many kids are walking, cycling and scooting to school in year 3. Some are coming across town, a good 20 min walk crossing busy roads…yes I know🥲

Personally it would be a big no for me. You are so close I’m not sure why it’s an issue to take her but absolutely I would not.

I would make very sure she's good at crossing the road and make sure her coat is bright with reflective details. Some people drive like idiots especially around schools. It would be great for her independence though.

My kids walked themselves to and from school from year 3 . It was a 5 minute walk with one main road with a lollipop lady on it and 2 minor ones. I had to send a note into school for them to 'allow' it. You know your child best, mine were already walking to and from the local shop at that age (which was further) so it was no huge issue at all. We aren't in a big city or town but I'm not sure if that makes any difference.

Thanks all for your replies. We have neighbours from South Korea and Switzerland who were shocked when they realised all the parents walk they’re children to school because in their country, all children walk. They don’t understand why parents need to take their kids!

For now I’ve decided I’ll walk her myself, But really, soon she can do it alone. She’s responsible child.

Maybe start by seeing her over the road and then letting her carry on from there.

Traffic is a problem now in a way it did not used to be.

I am not in the first flush of youth and as a child I made my way to and from school on my own from age 4.5. It involved quite a walk, then a bus, then a walk at the other end with a main road to cross. It was the norm then. But, as I say, traffic density and speed was different then.

Does she want to walk? If so, then let her.

When I let DD start doing similar in last term of Yr4, my ony concern was drivers. Simply too many drivers doing idiotic things like mounting parents to park, threatening the lollipop lady (who resigned a year later as she got fed up with it), parking on double yellow etc. So nothing she could control.

What's the benefit? You saving yourself 4 minutes on the school run isn't worth the risk imo.

Sure OP but roads, pavements and school locations are different in different countries so it’s not comparable.

To you daughter walking at 8? That’s a big hell no from me. Cars don’t always pay attention or slow down and you are relying on a young child to make complicated decisions to cross a road at a very busy time. Also, if she drops something and goes to bed down in the road they may not see her. Finally, if something happens does she have the mental capacity/maturity to deal with it correctly?

My son's Junior school stated that Year 5 & 6 could be allowed to go home at the end of the day, without a parent present, and walk home, as long as the school had a signed consent form. My view, was from this, then my child could walk to school by himself too. My son's school said all children from Year 3 & 4 had to be collected by a parent. If the school won't allow your child in Year 3 to not be collected by a parent and walk home, then she's too young to be walking to school by herself.

I'm always amazed when parents say 'she's a responsible child' or 'he's very sensible'...maybe so, for an 8 year old. But 8 year olds can't think, anticipate, or problem solve the way adults can. So while you might think your child is capable of walking to school, that's an assessment made when everything is going her way. If she tripped over and hurt herself, or dropped her bag and broke something, or wasn't careful crossing a road and something happened and you weren't there to parent her, how would you feel?

Absolutely not.

Walking alone teaches responsibility, autonomy, imbues confidence.

Your daughter should have friends in your area to walk with. Check your local police departments for area crime.

You might walk some distance behind your child, at the beginning, for your peace of mind. Maybe get her a cell phone for emergencies, but don't call her unless she misses a call-in. She can call you when walking onto school grounds.

She is old enough to check her surroundings, avoid strangers, walk with others and build friendships. Protecting a child from the world will handicap them and cause problems when they are faced with a situation they were not taught to handle.

At 8 and up, your kids should be accountable and self-reliant. Children are able to be baptized with full knowledge of what it means. They become responsible for their own sins and know what sin and civil laws are.

Kids need confidence when mummy and daddy arent present. How to cope and survive so, prepare them with knowledge and skills to win. Or parents can snuggle them close all their llife and keep them dependent on them. Years later, when married or ever have children, those kids will be handicapped too, without coping and survival skills. You just have to teach them what they need to know.