How was your child (or will your child be) when they were allowed to walk to school alone?

[McDreamy]

I guess some of the answers will depend on how close you live to your school and what kind of journey you have (crossing main roads etc) but on average if your child was/is able to make a safe walking/cycling journey to school and back how old before they can do it on their own?

Round here they go to Middle School in Year 5 and a lot of children start walking then, generally in pairs/groups and there is a lollipop lady who does two tricky bits of road by the school. Most of them walk somewhere between a mile and 1.5 miles.

At our school it tends to be in YR6, some start in yr 5 but almost all are in yr 6 so around about 10 years old.

If they are very near the school - ie on the same street then some have been known to walk alone at about 8.

ds will probably be yr 5 but i'll be five minutes behind with yr two dd

DD will be 11 tomorrow and has been walking to school with friends for a few months although i would not like the thought of her walking alone.It is about 1/2 of a mile away.

DD2 started this year - she is nine and in Year Four. It is about two-thirds of a mile to school, she has to cross two biggish roads, one with a zebra crossing and one a pedestrian crossing.
DD3 is almost seven. She could probably do it fine, but she is a bit scatty so I prefer to go with her.

Gosh, I was thinking at about 7. I live in a small village with little traffic and we could see him across the one road near the house. Its about 1/2 mile. Is this too young?

I wouldn't say it was too young, in those circs. But lots of people will...

ds1 is 9 and he walks the 5-10 min walk to school on his own or with a mate and I follow with the younger ones a few mins behind. He has to cross one busy road and we were actively teaching him how to cross it for about a year before allowing him out on his own. Plenty of his class have also started to walk alone or with friends this term too.

Goosey, I did the same at 7 in a similar situation but I am not sure I would let ds do it - he is 7. But that would be affected by what everyone else was doing so if all the 7yo in the school were walking and they kind of grouped up as they went then I probably would... that is not all that helpful is it?

Ds did it at 8: about 10 minutes walk and three roads, but two of them have lollipop ladies and the third has traffic lights. Lots of people walk the same way.

She started last year at just turned 7. It's 4 minutes away and she goes with a friend.