What age would you let LO walk home from school alone?

[lauramumof2]

Just out of curiosity, in light of the Shannon Matthews thing, what age would you feel comfortable letting your lo walk home from school.

I appreciate that some people like myself stay quite a bit away from the school.

My mum didnt let my sisters walk home themselves till 11.

 

[Princess_Puddles]

Funnily enough I was just saying to my OH that. We decided when he starts high school but only if he's walking with other children! If not then we will drop him at school everyday as we both drive.

 

[Xena]

The school I'll be sending the kids to is too far from the house to walk. So for primary school I'll be dropping them off. For high school they can take the school bus.

edit: my mother drove me every day even up to college up to the age of 18 when I moved out, which was a bit OTT

 

[Tori]

Ok am i gunna sound really sad, but i was gunna say older lol

 

[Tadpole]

I'd say probably from 11 - when they start secondary school - but only if they were walking with others. This was when i started walking home but there was a group of 6 of us.

 

[mary70]

my son didnt walk home alone until he started seconday school and it was literally 5 mins away and Hannah will be the same
Who voted 8?

 

[x-kirsty-x]

I was thinking about this the other day - OH's little sister will be 9 next month and she was telling us she's allowed to start walking to school herself. It's only about 5 minutes down the road but I still think she's a bit young

We live too far from Josh's school for him to walk so we go in the car. When he starts secondary school I'll let him walk but only if he's with friends.

 

[zebrastripes]

When i was in primary school I walked a mile to school and back from i was 7 or 8. To be fair,the path was across playing fields in full view of loads of houses and there were always a couple of people walking the same way. I walked alone or occasionally with a friend and nothing ever happened. When we moved back to the country, I had to walk or cycle 2 miles to my horse's field, or 4 miles to catch a bus. That was from I was 11 onwards. Again,nothing ever happened. My parents taught me all about "stranger danger", it is a quiet area, and there was no problem. I knew people whos parents would drive them anywhere,even 100 metres down the road-I'm not even joking,my best friend used to be picked up from the bus stop and driven home that distance every day. i think you have to keep it in perspective: I hate seeing all the SUV's clogging up the school run. Even if the mothers are worried about their kids walking alone,why not just walk with them?The chances of them being abducted are slim anyway

But,rant aside, I think after age 10 or so there is absolutely no reason why a child shouldn't walk home alone

 

[Sarah&Braydon]

i was not allowed to walk to school by myself till i was 11 and went to high school, that was wen i started walking my sis to school who was 9 but i had to ring my mum wen we had got there

i can remember one time wen i was 9 my sis was ill so mum said i had to walk my self to school and i thought i was so grown up till i realised her best mate following me to school lol

 

[x-kirsty-x]

i can remember one time wen i was 9 my sis was ill so mum said i had to walk my self to school and i thought i was so grown up till i realised her best mate following me to school lol

Awww

 

[SarahH]

I say it depends on how far you are from the school... if close I'd say like primary 6, if not I'd say 1st year at academy

 

[Sherlock]

Cripes I began walking myself to and from school aged 7. 20 minutes each way and I'd call in for a friend about 10 minutes in and then we'd call in for another about 2 minutes from school.

I never got driven or anything like that, even when smaller. We always walked to school and back, rain or shine.

Nowadays, it depends. If we lived within walking distance of the school I'd say from whenever I felt my child was mature enough. Atm we are rural and live outside the village and the town with the school is a few miles down the road. But I'd be more than happy to let our kids walk to get the school bus in the mornings and home in the evenings, depending on a few things.

I'm not a fan of driving the school run every day and will look to things like cycling when LO is smaller etc.

 

[mary70]

I say it depends on how far you are from the school... if close I'd say like primary 6, if not I'd say 1st year at academy

6 years old to walk to school alone?

 

[zebrastripes]

No...in primary 6 (or 7 as it is over here) a child will be around 10

 

[mary70]

oh right sorry

 

[SarahH]

I say it depends on how far you are from the school... if close I'd say like primary 6, if not I'd say 1st year at academy

6 years old to walk to school alone?

No, no - primary 6 is about 10yrs old

 

[Kimbo]

i wont want to

 

[jayla's mummy]

i was allowed wen i was bout 8-9 but we live across the road. jayla is gonna get drove till around 14. the world isnt wot use to be. x

 

[muppetmummy]

I think it depends on where you live, how safe the area is, how far from the school, and whether there are any busy roads to cross.

I think 10 sounds about right as a general rule though.

 

[nickilubs]

I walked to school on my own when I started secondary school so I would of been 11 but we always had friends to walk with the school was about 2miles away from home but I used to like walking it, but didn't have much choice really we had to walk whether we liked it or not even if it was raining.

I will do the same with my kid mum would never ever let us walk alone when we were in Primary school and it would of made it soooo much easier on her if she had she also wouldnt drive to pick us up or take us either.