What age is ok to walk home alone

[BipolarBabe34]

My DS 7 is asking to walk home alone now he is in junior school. I absolutely will not allow this at the moment as I personally feel he’s far too young but it got me thinking what age would people say is ok for a child to walk home alone?

we live about 5-10 min walk away from the school. I could even stand at the end of my road and watch him up to the lollipop lady.

TIA for replies xx

It’s impossible for anyone to say as children and areas are so different.

Technically my 4yo walks “home” from school himself atm - parents aren’t allowed in the playground and our gate is opposite the school gate so I stand at the front door as I get a better view of him from the step than I do the melee at the gate!

However, my 26yo DD2 I used to make excuses to fetch and drop her at high school age because she was so distracted that walking herself was a nightmare. It still is a bit now.

When my elder three were 9/10 we didn’t live somewhere they could walk safely alone, but my next younger two we did so they walked from 7 (but one of those was from this house - so literally can see the entire playground).

CCTV? Where do you live where staff are sat there watching children arrive on CCTV?

Tell your school that they’re exceeding their jurisdiction in trying to police your 14 year old collecting your 8 year old and that you are over ruling them. Honestly, just push back with confidence.

They would have to if a parent properly challenged them.

Ive worked in over 20 primary schools over the years and every one has relied on parents not challenging as it’s not their call.

Only once when a parent insisted did the school view it as such a safeguarding risk they referred to social services (it was part of a bigger picture). Every other time when a parent insisted the school ultimately gave in.

Where do you live? They don’t have the right to do this in the UK.

Depends on the child and the local area.

my kids were allowed to do that at age 7

where I live - Scotland- it’s up to parents to decide

Yeah well most parents dont want an unnecessary phone call to social services

Our school has cctv I would think that was normal actually

Age 9 for us. It’s a short walk with no roads.

Let’s not pretend schools would suddenly be making a tonne of SS calls. They wouldn’t. They’d be accepting that their “policy” is actually their suggestion and parents can indeed make that decision far more than they’d be calling SS.

They just rely on parents not realising that it’s not actually up to the school because it’s far easier for schools if everyone is collected by an adult.

You don’t know that they won’t. And most parents dont want the aggro. I’ve seen them refuse loads of teenagers from collecting younger siblings (primary school is next to secondary) even with parents permission. You agree to the rules of the school when you send your child there. Most parents just respect the rules they agreed to when signing their child up. This isn’t a new rule, I remember my mum wanting my brother to walk home from school alone in the early 2000s and the school point blank refused to let him leave unless he was collected, she use to arrange with another school mum to ‘collect’ him then the mum would just let him walk home alone once out of sight. It’s really not acceptable like you think it is. Schools have rules for a reason.

Schools have the rule because it’s easier for them.

Having worked in over 20 schools I’ve seen parents challenge it in numerous occasions and in all but one occasion (where there were other safeguarding concerns) the schools ultimately accepted it, without the need for SS calls, because they know it is ultimately up to the parent.

Parents don’t generally challenge it because they don’t know that they can. Which schools rely on.

It’s not as unacceptable as you think it is.

Well I did challenge it as pointed out. I told them my 14 year old is collecting my 8 year old as I was right outside and I was told no, it won’t be happening. The teacher held my daughter back and refused to let her go until she saw me.

Sending another child to collect isn’t the same as going home alone, but the school would have backed down on the home alone ultimately.

Most parents don’t challenge that far. Mostly because schools don’t point out that if you insist they don’t have any choice but to release the child or call SS. So when folks don’t know schools get away with keeping it as a “rule” rather than a request.

Private schools are different as they can remove places for non compliance with their rules.

Our school allows it from year 4 and then year 5 they’re allowed to bring a younger sibling home too

A child would be safer going home with a sibling than alone and they weren’t going home I told them I was outside so they could have sent her out alone then in that case but they wouldn’t. The rules are also shared regularly on the school newsletter.

What does tend to happen when one parent challenges is that others do as well and before you know it 4/5 kids are walking home and 2/3 more are whinging that they can’t walk because they live too far.

until it rains. Then lots of the walkers wish they were being collected 😂

Year 5

They sound like a school that’s unnecessarily strict and unhelpful. And also clueless of their actual limitations legally.

Many won’t release to another child, despite it being safer. Parents generally sign permission slips to say they are walking home alone to where there is an adult. The other child has to wait outside the school grounds in many cases. One school I worked in even tried to insist siblings couldn’t walk home together because of the other child rule.

Though that particular HT was quite ridiculous in many many ways.

Our school allows it in year 6. DD would walk home (15 mins) on the days I wasn’t collecting DS. She’s just started high school and walks both ways, it’s about 20-25 mins away now.

How does walking home with a parent keep you drier than walking home by yourself?

My ds walked from aged 7, nearly 8. We're in Scotland though where there are no rules about this sort of thing and most kids go to the local school. We live a 5 minute walk from school, no major roads and he walked with all his friends not alone. The way school catchments work here makes it very common for classmates to also be your neighbours.

Year 6 for my eldest who walks alone
with my twins as 2 of them my plan is year 5

I’m also in Scotland same as a previous poster. Mine walked to school with friends from the start of primary 4, so age 7, nearly 8. It depends on so many factors such as distance, maturity of child, road safety sense, if road crossing is involved and if so are there lights?
Standing at the end of the road and watching him till he get to the lollipop man sounds like a good compromise to start with.

There are a lot of kids who live in the development right next to the school and they start walking themselves in around 7 or 8. Nothing proper to cross until the lollipop woman so no risks at all and there are loads of kids and parents around anyway so it’s kind of a group activity.

The only reason I waited until 8.5 is that we live a mile away and are the last street so you don’t run into people for a few blocks and there are 2 lights and maybe 6 or 7 non lighted crossings to get through. I started walking him part way and then halfway etc etc until I was fairly sure he’d manage. He has a smartwatch to call me if anything happens (mostly a forgotten trombone)

In the scenario you have where you can literally see the school I have no idea why you wouldn’t let him go now - or at least work towards it. Can’t see what could possibly happen though I’m guessing someone can come up with something.

And there are no rules about this in Scotland. And no cctv at the school either.

One of my best wins as a parent was an endless fight to get a light put in on the main road that splits the catchment. I didn’t even live on this side when I started arguing with counsellors about it but then we moved and my son uses it every day. So satisfying :) If there hadn’t been a safe crossing there I might have waited a bit longer as cars go super fast down that road and there had been accidents.

At my son’s school it’s allowed in Year 6, but only with parental permission. So the teachers know which children have to wait to be collected.