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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

If you have a child in year 6 do you still collect them from school?

38 replies

chickensaladagain · 19/06/2013 19:31

At my dc's primary you wait in the playground for your dc

Dd1is in yr 6, says hello to me in the playground then goes off with her friends and meets me at home

I have to be there to collect younger dc but I noticed today how many of the yr 6 parents are still collecting their only or youngest dc -they leave in a few weeks,surely they need to be getting used to walking by themselves?

They all live an easy walk from school so is it more about the parents than the dcs?

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Periwinkle007 · 19/06/2013 19:44

I suppose it is habit as much as anything else. Mine are far younger than that but I would anticipate (assuming we still live where we do when they are year 5/6ish) to let them walk home by that age. like you say in preparation for going to senior school. I caught the train to school 12 miles away from being 10, with walking as well at both ends it was about an hour each way. I know my mum worried about me doing it initially but I think that was partly that it was a large distance too

OldBeanbagz · 19/06/2013 19:54

My Y6 DD only walks home with me on the days that her younger brother finishes at the same time. On the other days she walks home by herself but it's only a 5 minute walk.

Maybe the Y6 parents around you are making the most of their last few weeks in primary school?

picnicbasketcase · 19/06/2013 19:59

Yes, but only because I'm getting my younger child at the same time so walking home alone would be odd.

wineoclocktimeyet · 19/06/2013 20:38

No, even though I am collecting DS2, DS1 still walks home alone - the infants finish 5 mins earlier than the juniors so if we daudle he catches up.
He also leaves 5 mins earlier in the morning and we're not allowed to catch him up.

We also have some parents who live within easy walking distance who pick up, I do wonder whether they will be taking them to and picking up from big school in September

spanieleyes · 19/06/2013 20:41

For many parents it's a social time, meet up with other parents, have good old chat and walk the dog! Children seem to come low down the list!

Marmitelover55 · 19/06/2013 20:44

My DD1 is in year 6 and she walks to school on her own or with friends but she usually walks home with me as I am also collecting DD2. DD1 is not great on concentrating when crossing roads (still), so I do worry about her walk to secondary school come September. I am planning to walk it with her a few times, but then she will be on her own.

Leeds2 · 19/06/2013 21:07

At my DD's primary school (she is now Y10), they wouldn't let the children out unless they were met by a parent/appropriate adult.

I would agree that it is sensible to let them come home by themselves if they can do so.

Periwinkle007 · 19/06/2013 21:11

marmitelover - wise to watch her with the roads - I look back on just how many times I ran across incredibly busy roads when I was walking to school and how many drivers we probably gave heart attacks. that went on though until we were erm probably er 6th form dare I say it.

I must admit I do wonder what on earth my day would consist of if I wasn't working and my children were old enough to get themselves to and from school. I seriously can't imagine it so I can very well see the social side of it for parents.

LindyHemming · 19/06/2013 21:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Picturesinthefirelight · 19/06/2013 21:24

Yes - it's a right pain sometimes but at dd's school children have to be collected by an adult.

I try and counteract it by dropping her off at school so she walks along the road by herself rather than escorting her to the entrance of the playground like the other parents do.

Doyouthinktheysaurus · 19/06/2013 21:30

I have year 5 and year 4 Dses, they walk home together, without me.

I'm a firm believer promoting independence but I'm sure some regard me as too liberal because ds2 is not quite 9.

They are responsible boys though and I think fostering independence can build confidence.

Most year 6 parents I used to see collecting they're dc's were collecting younger ones too.

Blu · 19/06/2013 21:32

DS walked to and from school on his own from Yr 5.

I missed seeing all my playgorund friends.

Phoebe47 · 19/06/2013 21:47

At the school I teach at the rule is that all the children are brought to school/collected by an adult (parent/grandparent/childminder etc.) until the end of Y5. In Y6 they can arrive and leave on their own/with friends. Gets them ready for secondary school.

cory · 19/06/2013 22:55

Ds made his own way home from the end of Yr 5.

littlemiss06 · 20/06/2013 02:34

Yes I do still pick my year 6 child up, I am there any way picking up my year 2 but my older daughter loves having a chat about her day while we walk home, im enjoying the last few weeks of her company walking home, a lot of our year 6 kids are still picked up :-)

Frikadellen · 20/06/2013 07:45

In the primary my children are in they do not release the children unless an adult is there to collect.

Having said that they go to a small village school and only 1 child lives in arguable walking distance and that is down past a road with a nasty bend that "I" would not wish to walk past (right by the local tourist attraction - a Castle)

DD1 walked home alone from Y4 (with a friend) However that was across small suburb roads

lydiajones · 20/06/2013 09:23

Think I will still be collecting in year 6 due to a busy main road without any crossing being part of our route to school. If we lived on the other side of the main road I wouldn't have a problem with it though.

DowntonTrout · 20/06/2013 09:27

If my DD were still at her previous school I would still be collecting, as it was a car journey away for us.

At her new school, central London, she walks herself some days and some days I meet her. Our friends at the old school would be horrified! Still she needs to learn to be safe and street wise as she will be doing it by herself from September anyway.

Bramshott · 20/06/2013 09:35

Our Year 6s have to be collected by an adult from the classroom door

IShallWearMidnight · 20/06/2013 09:48

I collect DD at her request mainly because I might be coming straight from work so therefore can drive home, but two days a week she has after school clubs and I'd rather she didn't walk home by herself. On other days there's always loads of people walking our way, so she's not totally by herself.

Not sure why I worry about her tbh, as we live in a pretty safe area, and there's only one tricky junction to cross. Probably cos she's my baby .

Periwinkle007 · 20/06/2013 10:28

I think though there is a difference with walking home literally on their own if it is after a club or noone lives that way and if they are walking as part of a group/at the same time as 200 parents and children. Our school they have to have a walking pass authorised by their parents, think they can have one from yr3/4ish which gives them the ability to walk round the corner to where parents have parked or to go home with older siblings or walk down to the infant department so they can meet parents there collecting siblings etc.

Flyonthewindscreen · 20/06/2013 15:06

I have just started letting my Yr4 DD walk home on her own. DS (Yr6) walks ahead of us to school so makes his own way in both directions. It would be unusual for a child in Yrs 5 or 6 to be collected by a parent unless they were there to collect a younger sibling. Pupils at my DC school can walk home on own from Yr3 if they want. I usually make an excuse to pick up at least once a week anyway so I can chat to my friends!

VonHerrBurton · 20/06/2013 15:38

At ds's school there's a mum (who's lovely!) with a son in same class as mine. Y5. She's not overly friendly so its not a social thing, its much nearer a walk for her son than mine, maybe 10 mins, no major roads. She has two older dc, one in Y7, one in Y9.

All of them are chauffeured to and from school by her each morning. She parks her huge car right outside school, legally, yet will not let her son walk over to her. There's supervised road crossing, lollipop man.

She moans about the school run, tells me how many years she's done it for bla bla.

She must just simply want to do it. My ds and his little group of friends he walks with loves the independence and by the time high school comes I think he'd be embarrassed if I was parked opposite waiting for him every day. Maybe her son wants his mum there? Who knows.

Mintyy · 20/06/2013 15:45

No, but I can see the school gate from my front garden. Walk is 3 mins max.

peeriebear · 20/06/2013 15:49

DD1 has been walking or cycling home alone occasionally since y4, and full time since y5. I bought her a mobile phone for Christmas primarily so I can call her if she's late, or she can call me and ask to go to the park/town.

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