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

[Princess_Puddles]

I realised in my reply I didnt write the age.
I said high school but we don't have middle schools here its from primary school to high school which starts at the age of 12/13. That may seem like a high age but I don't trust anyone now days & the school we're hoping for Harrison to attend is at the other side of the town we live in (We live in the centre of town) and I think If he does end up going there me or OH will probably end up dropping him off and someone picking him up. I know its all personal preference but I wouldnt like to walk all that way so I wouldn't expect him to.

 

[Minime]

Depends on where you live in relation to the school. With DD I let her walk on her own the term before the summer holidays leading up to year 6 and the whole of year 6 (so she'd be 10/11) to prep her for high school. That said, this was only because the school was spitting distance and involved no crossings of roads. I think if she had to cross a road then she'd have to wait until high school.


When I was kid I think my mum took me the first day or two then my sisters were supposed to take me (yer right!) so I was takiung myself from 4. I would be horrified to see a kid that young on their own nowadays though

 

[skairdykat]

My son who's 11 started high school in Sept and he has had to start going to and from school on his own on the school bus. Not walking I know but I still worried about him at the start.

 

[Jo]

Emily is 9 and walks to school on her own sometimes, with a friend.
This has only been a recent thing though and i can see her from my door until she gets 1/2 way down the school street then she is by my friends house
So i really don't see a problem with it

Come September though she will be at middle school and will be walking a little bit further, now i am nervous about that but not as nervous now thay have put crossings on the junction and she will be walking with around 6 other girls

 

[Gemma & Jake]

I will probably let Jake walk home alone once he starts secondary school. I suppose it depends how far away his school is though because I wouldn't really want him walking too far alone at that age. There are so many weirdos out there

 

[kimmumof2]

i will let her when she is in high school so 12yrs, thats when i did. i have always said this about the children that go missing etc i think primary school age is too young to let them on their own with ot without friends. there are too many examples of children that are taken and for me the final thing that makes me say 12 is those 2 girls that were taken 8 yrs ago at the age of 10 walking school and one was chucked in the bk of the boot and the other just got in without being asked because she didnt want to leave her, they also said that they had been given all the talks of dont talk to strangers, run scream etc but when it happened they were both just that scared they did what he sed! i live about 30 mins walk from school tho dont know how i would feel if it was closer but i was only allowed to walk across the road to the shop at 11 and thats because my mum could see all the way and also to teach me some responsibility for when i did start to walk school a yr later.

xxx

 

[starlight]

i voted 11/12 when they started high school but only with a group of friends and if on their own id take them even if it embrasses them in front of friends id rather have them safe.

im gonna be an over protective mother have been since they've been born and i've seen young 2/3 year olds playing out in the streets where we live

 

[Jade&Evie]

i was 11, when I started secondary school but that was only because my mum had to walk my younger brother to school which was in the other direction. I'd have loved a lift every day!

 

[xJodieLoux]

I used to walk home from school on my own fron about age 8 or 9, but we live just round the corner from the school and my mum let teachers and other parents know I would be walking alone so they probably kept an eye on me, and with living right around the corner I never had to walk on my own really as most of the school walked my way.

I'm not sure what age I'd let my kids walk home alone from, it depends really, on things such as how far away the school is etc.

 

[kellie80]

I voted 9 but I wasn't really too sure. My daughter is coming up to 8 in July and there are quite a few kids in her class that walk to school themselves. We live about 10 minutes at the most away from the school and only one road away. I think I might consider it when she goes up in to year 5 but only if I walk her over the road first. It would only be one way though cos Aimee will be going the schools nursery so I'll be going there anyway.

 

[jenna]

Im not sure, i lived 2 streets away from my school and i was only allowed to walk home alone when i was 12.

 

[amzhunny]

i remember when i was younger i walked to school on my tod in my final year before secondary school so 11 i think.

 

[hattyrare]

I'm now only 18 and I remember walking to school by myself/with a friend when I was around 8 or 9. Now this wasn't that long ago. I lived in Upminster (Essex) and had to cross a fair few roads even though it only took me about 20 minutes to walk it. Nothing bad ever happened. So I wouldn't mind my child walkin that at age 9ish. Saying that I'm sure it will be different when I have my own child.

 

[sazzylou]

we live a 5-10 mins walk from Beths school, and theres no way she'll be walking without me until she starts at the 'big' school (shes 6, only at primary at the moment).

The good thing is, when shes ready to walk to school on her own, i'll be walking my new LO to school by then, so i can follow her and keep an eye out


Well, im going that way anyway......


(im a paranoid mum, i cant help it)

 

[Kelly G]

I haven't voted as i reall dont know!

This has been on my mind for a while. Brooke is 8 and is in year 3 of a primary school. She has been asking if she can walk to scool alone for a while now, personally DH and i thibk she is too young. It got me thinking because i wasnt sure what age would be right for her to walk to school alone. I cant ever imagine her walking to school alone

My niece will be 9 in , she is in the year above Brooke and a lot of children in her year walk to school alone. My niece walks to school with her friend but my sister has a 6 year old she she isnt usually far behind her.

I think i would probably let Brooke walk to school alone when she goes into secondary school when she will be 11 as long as she is with friends.

It is only a 5 minute walk from our house so she should be ok

It's a hard one this, specially when you hear stories like Shannon Mathews it makes you want to protect them even more

 

[sarah113]

i dont think ill let them till they are about 13

 

[mrs_tommo22]

I wont let my kids walk home from school until there at secondry school. The school here is ten mins away and on a main route, all the parents walk their kids home from school. you never see any kids walking home on their own here.

 

[sparky]

it depends on the maturity of the child and distance to school. I'd say 8 would be fine in our case as the school is about 100 yards from the house. We used to walk together to school at 5,6,7,8 years old respectivly, never got a lift, wasnt dangerous and we knew how to cross the small village road.

TBH the danger is not any greater to children than it was 20 years ago, its just widely publicised if anything does happen.

Dont want my kids to grow up without being able to evaluate risk on their own, otherwise i will really feel as if i've failed them.

 

[foxymum]

my Daughter is 12 in July & is in her 1st year at secondary school, we only live about 20 mins from her school, but no one from round ny road walks & all her friends live at the other end of town, so i tke her before i take my son to his primary school.

she walks down to my sons primary school after school though & meets me there, so she gets her bit of freedom then i suppose.

shes probably too lazy anyway to walk in the mornings! she only gets out of bed at the last minute

i voted 11/12 though, unless there was a huge group of friends.
but also if they want us to drive them then we should becausei know from Georgia they grow up very quickly & we soon become an embarassment to them so we should do things for them for as long as they will let us.

 

[Tillytots]

I voted 11-12 although Id prefer it if my LO walked with friends still even then. Also depends how far away school is