Year 5, aged 9 (just!), London, - to pick up or not to pick up?

[RaisinBoys]

School has given parents these 3 options:

1. collect child from classroom
2. collect child from school gate
3. child can make own way home

We are 12 minute walk (5 min cycle) from school. Now, we know what we are going to do, but just interested to know what would you do?

My DS has his own opinion!!! It doesn't necessarily echo mine.

Would depend on how many roads/how busy.

Either b or c depending upon how safe the roads are and whether other kids/families walk in same direction.

Thanks all - really helpful.

Thanks bluebird68 - you're right it's all about preparing them.

Merrylegs - I love the chat after school. I moved to part time work specifically so that I could do drop off/pick up & hear the good stuff and mop up the grumps, frustration and occasional tears.
But he craves that little bit of independence and anyway as we now cycle to and from, that chat doesn't really happen now until later at home.

Will stick to staged withdrawal with occasional visits to the gates!

DD is in Year 6 and she is walking home for the first time this term. So in Year 5, the answer was (2), in Yr 6 it's (3). This is somewhat arbitrary, but she seems ready to do it and she has a friend to walk with.

I would definitely let a nine-year-old walk a short route home with safe traffic, if an adult were at the other end.

I would do what the child wanted me to do, safety permitting and barring a child was was unusually bad with traffic etc. I would hope my daughter would like to walk home herself at that age but if she was worried about it I would be happy to pick her up or meet her halfway for as long as she wanted me to. I would sincerely hope she didn't want me to get her from the classroom as then I'd be fretting about how she was going to manage secondary school in only a couple of years!

When we get to that stage, DD will have one really large and insanely busy road to cross and two tiny ones. The large one has a Pelican crossing, though, so I would imagine the vast majority of 9 or 10 year olds would be capable of it.

2 again. Not done 1 since reception and wouldn't expect anyone older to be.