year 7 home alone after school

[sleepwouldbenice]

Hi

so my DD1 goes to secondary school this September. Twice a week grandparents will collect her. Once a week I will be off. So two days a week she will need to walk home (half an hour?) and get in about 3.45. Then alone in house for couple of hours before either myself or DH will be home after picking DD2 up from kids club at primary school.

Does this sound okay.....? I expect her to have a relax and a snack for an hour then do homework for an hour.

I also plan to let her leave kids club an hour early from the Easter to practice being alone (she currently does the odd bit here and there)

(I know sorting the holidays is worse....)

Thanks

If she is worried at all or finds it a bit boring does she have a local library on the way home? My friend's dd goes there and does her homework using the library computers on her way home, meaning that she can relax properly later on.

I think 11 is fine to be left alone. You just need a couple of rules so that she understands about keeping herself and the house safe. Children learn to be responsible by adults showing some trust. Keeping them supervised til the age of 14 is foolish. Good grief, not expecting to go back in time, but my grandad was working at the pit at the age of 13.

It will be fine.
What you need to do in between now and then is let her have her own key and let her let herself in on a regular basis - all those little things like knowing which way to turn the key, the fact that you might have to jiggle it in the lock, or pull the door towards you a bit are all things that it helps if they are 2nd nature by the time she starts secondary.
Also, get her used to being on her own when you go out somewhere perhaps at the weekend, or the evenings you go to dd2's Parents Evenings, or other meetings, so she's used to being there on her own, and sometimes once it's dark.
Let her draw the curtains (if you want her to), and decide how comfortable you are with her making a cuppa or some hot chocolate if she comes in soaking wet one day. Gradually talk about "What would you do if...." - could be can't find her key / a friend asks her to go round to theirs / she got to the house and the door had been broken / she got in the house and the kitchen was flooded / the heating hadn't come on / her phone was out of charge or lost / etc.... and agree strategies / emergency things to do (without piling this all on her the week before she starts when she might be feeling nervous anyway).