Can a school really stop you letting your child independently walk to school?

[Duv]

My child is no where near old enough yet for this to be an immediate consideration, but in principle I'm a big believer in giving children independence where possible, and walking to school independently is something I think can be highly beneficial for children (dependent on their maturity and how close they live to school/how many roads they cross etc).

I walked a mile to school from Yr5 by myself, and whilst I remember this raising a few eyebrows amongst other parents at the time, it was ultimately my parents decision and i was soooo thrilled to be able to do it and go so much out of it.

Ive been faintly aware that the dial has been shifting the other way steadily over the last few decades, so much so that many secondary schools kids are driven to school, but what's surprised me is many primary schools claim they won't permit children to walk to school alone at all of until year 6. This seems like it's really not something that should be their business (at best they can advise on, but not enforce).

Can you just override their policy and say this is what our family are doing? Has anyone had any experience of being so bold? I see lots of people say 'if you don't like it pick another school' but that's obviously wildly impractical. I'm not looking to open a conversation about whether it is right in principle for a 10 year old to walk to school alone, as I know where I stand, I'm just interested in people's experience of school push-back.

I can't see how they can stop you letting your child walk TO school. But they can certainly stop them from walking home themselves.

No they can't. The worst they can do is report it to social services (who wont be interested).

The school could try and stop the child walking home - if they do they have to report it to social services as an unattended child. This will only happen a few times before social services tell the school to get real.

Oh yes I have had push back on this but my kids are adult now so i have seen this stripping away kids' independence from the start.

1998 my dd walked to school and back 15 mins each way aged 5. No issue.

2001 my ds walked did the same route no issue.

2007 was my first issue. I had to get permission from the local authority for them to release my son at the day's end.

By 2012, even i am questioning my own parenting judgement as no one at all lets a child walk to school. I opt to meet my child at the top of the lane next to the school. I face no challenge but one day the class is kept in and her school teacher brings dd up the lane expressing shock and horror at the distance (2 mins from classroom door)

Roll forward to today, same school. Mainstream. Children up to primary 3 (scotland) so 8 yrs old must be met at the classroom door by an adult.

The teacher makes eye contact with the adult and then sends each child in turn over to the adult.

The only increased danger i now see at the school is cars chokka blokka all round the perimeter roads. Literally no one walks.

I use childcare for mine though they are 10 and 11 for a short distance of less than a mil but I certainly walked across a major city (we had moved and school was out of catchment) from aged 9 about 40 mins

a ten year old is totally fine to walk home alone

Dd is 16, year 12. When she was in primary school, the rule was year 5 onwards. No school would stop a year 7 from leaving the premises without being collected by an agreed at home time unless there was a very specific safeguarding issue.

No, they can't.

They can go down the safeguarding route if they have genuine concerns, however in 20 years working in schools other than in one case (that was part of a bigger picture of ongoing safeguarding concerns) schools simply didn't do that as it wasn't appropriate. They ultimately accepted that it's a parenting decision and sometimes would ask the parents to send a written note in stating that they wanted their child to walk to/from school solo and it was their responsibility.

In two schools they asked the parent not to talk to other parents about it.

No they can't

It’s an interesting one as it’s something I’m seriously considering pushing on for year 5. I think it is currently the last term of year 6 at ours. My 8 year old is finding her homework is ramping up and not loving wraparound care- she’d be more than capable now but I don’t want to ask too soon. I live a ten minute walk away. I work from home but can’t easily disappear for the half hour to get there and back. If she could walk back herself a few days a week it would save me money but more importantly give her some downtime. Her younger sister would have to stay in wrap around.

I was musing this just the other day.

We live very close to school and it is largely pointless having an adult walk with our yr 4 as he runs ahead with friends anyway and is more than capable of doing it alone. Our school say yr 6 but I think I am going to be quite pushy for yr 5. Our older DC walked alone from yr 5 and were absolutely fine.

It’s a parent’s decision - school can refuse to release a child at the end of the day if their policy is a parent has to collect or they could raise a safeguarding concern but I doubt SS would be concerned about a 10 year old.
My children’s school has a policy they will let children walk home alone in Y5-6 with parent’s written permission. We gradually built up through Y5 (dropped off/met further away for a few weeks) and in Y6 my daughter walks by herself. Next year she will have to get a public bus then walk through the town centre to secondary - school need to trust parents to allow children to gradually build independence.
It needs to be a discussion though - if a school let a 6 year old wander out alone everyone would say they’d failed to safeguard the child, so a policy is needed.

It was Yr5 at DDs school. I let her walk alone to school in summer of Yr4. I know the school knew she was doing it as the Lollipop Lady would tell me if she wasn't going to be there the next day. Unfortunately she retired from that role half way through DDs year 5 as she got fed up for the idiot drivers.

When we went to her Yr7 induction the school had to make it clear that parents were not allowed on school grounds for drop-off and pick up.

It's year 5 at my school, and our school does let out year 6 collect my year 3 child (but we don't do that often). We live very close to school and the deputy head agreed as they're sensible kids.

I can't see how they can stop them walking to school alone but can see how they'll stop them walking home.

We are actively encouraged to do this from start of year five.

felt a bit much for me (but son was keen and is sensible)

Anisty

1998 my dd walked to school and back 15 mins each way aged 5. No issue.

Aged 5?

1998 my dd walked to school and back 15 mins each way aged 5. No issue
I’m not surprised you’re questioning your judgement there, @Anisty !
5 years old??

A friend of mine settled in Switzerland.

They start at 4 there. They are supported for the first couple of weeks to walk to school - parents show them the route, etc, and then after that they are expected to get themselves there and back.

My friend who is British was incredibly worried. She was used to kids getting themselves to school at age 11, not 4.

It was fine.

Back in Britain, no the school can't actually stop you.

They might want written permission (my kids school wanted this) but ultimately there is very little they can do other than hassle you and call SS and SS won't care.

I can't imagine letting a 5 year old walk to school by themselves, how did you not worry all day wondering if she got there or not??

I've no idea of the legalities but don't you sign some sort of agreement with schools these days to abide by the rules e.g. uniform, punctuality etc? Accompanying children to school might be one of the rules.

Octavia64

They start at 4 there. They are supported for the first couple of weeks to walk to school - parents show them the route, etc, and then after that they are expected to get themselves there and back

Nope, wouldn’t be doing that!

I wouldn´t do it either. I think 10 is a sensible age. I will get my six year old out of wraparound care for that age. It is a 9 minute walk to my job.

Those agreements are completely meaningless though.

No, I don't see how any school could practically stop you letting a child walk to school. Even if you signed an agreement, what's the consequence?

I visit Switzerland often.

Was astounded when I first saw what looked like 5 year-olds cycling home alone - on a separate cycle path but still next to the road and unaccompanied!

My nephews in Germany walked to school in a busy city and home again from age 7.

My ex used to be put a bus to German kindergarten from age 4. Someone from kindergarten met him and any other kids at the bus stop.

I walked home from school from age 8.

In the Uk we have become really scared of children being snatched or run over. The reality is if you’re living close to primary school often it’s very easy and safe to walk home, with many kids walking the same route. I think y5 is late, if anything, for many kids to be given this independence.

In principle, kids are perfectly capable of walking themselves to school at age 5 onwards, as they did 40 years ago. Unfortunately there is so much more traffic on the roads than there was, so it probably is quite a lot less safe. This is a huge downside of our car-centred culture.

My year 5 DC is allowed to walk to school himself. I wouldn’t have wanted him to do it earlier as he was still quite impulsive about running across the road.

English schools are very over-zealous with this sort of thing, with their weird rules and insisting children are collected or refusing to let them leave.

We have none of that in Scotland. At our school the very smallest children (aged 4.5 - 5.5) when they start school are brought to the door by a teacher and only allowed to go when they see someone. Other years are just allowed out into the playground, and told if they are expecting someone to pick them up and that person is not there, to come back into school.

Lots of 6 year olds walking home with older siblings, and children walking home with friends or alone. It's no big deal and when I read about these schools refusing to release a 9 or 10 year old it feels very strange.