At what age did your child start walking home alone?

[Intothewildwest]

At what age did your child start walking home alone? We live about 5 minutes away from the school and up until now we've used the after school club however, I've been offered a new role with a pay rise. The money would be really helpful, as I'm a single parent. My son is 10, in year 4 and would sometimes be alone for an hour and 30 minutes. I do have a relative that lives across the road that could check up on him. I'm just battling between guilt at the moment of what to do.

Summer of year 4, also a 5 min walk and walked with friends most of the way.
There was always someone home though.
To let themselves in and be alone for 1.5h is a bit different, I’d have said year 6 for that.

Our school preferred we wait till year 6 and we had no real need for her to walk home alone before that so went with it. I would have been comfortable in year 5.

I would be negotiating with my employer - ‘thanks for the new role, I’ll need to leave at 4.45 each day to collect my DC from after school club but will WFH for an hour each day to cover any lost time’

My DCs were born in 2001/2004. Both walked home by themselves in Y5 - 20 mins. DS moved to an indy for Y6 and was doing a train and bus journey to and from school by himself. All in London. Many of their friends were doing similar.
I was at Primary during the 70s and walked to and from school from age 8.

Okay - I’m defo the odd one out then!

DS1 - Age 10, summer of year 5. I gave him his own key for his 10th birthday.
99% of year 6 kids walk home alone in preparation for secondary.
DS2 was in the 1% who didn't (his choice) but was absolutely fine going to secondary.

Mine started at the beginning of year 5, so she was just 9. She turned 10 the following July.

Mine is now year 6 and she moved to an independent school for year 6. Since she started (she’s 10, she turns 11 in July) she’s got the bus to school and back as it’s 11 miles away.

Y6- school only allow y6 to walk home alone, although youngest was walking to school alone from the beginning of Y5.

My son was about 8.5/9 he's sensible and we live in a safe area. It's about a 10 minute walk. My husband works from home so there's always someone there when he gets home.

The walk is totally fine, is it after school or is he going to be walking home from after school club?

I guess for the latter it's less people around and more dark, it depends on where you live. Start by letting him walk to school, he'll soon find if there are people he walks with, which will also help.