Rules on children walking home from school

puddy

it would be interesting to know what they would propose to do if the parent said, that they were not coming to collect little jonny because he is walking home on his own and perfectly capable of doing so. would they phone social services to say the child hadnt been picked up? and when the duty social worker asks for details of this situation and is told this is a 9 or 10 year old and that the parent has asked that the child walks home but school policy wont allow it, what do you think SSD is going to do?

what next, phone the police and complain that the child is expected to walk home, then what will the police do? nothing, same as SSD, there is no cause for concern here. obviously if the school were able to say that the child had special behavioural needs which necessitated his being supervised, thats different but where a parent has made an informed decision about their child's abilities, the school would be laughed off the phone

onlyroz

I was allowed to cycle the two miles to my primary school on my own from around age 10. I was allowed to do the same cycle ride with a group of friends from around age 8-9. I was probably helped by the fact that I lived in the butt-end-of-nowhere and if I didn't get myself out and about then my parents would have had to drive me everywhere.

daska

GobbledyGook wrote: »

The Scooter thing may have meant there was no misunderstandings, but how do we expect children to learn how to deal with situations if they are never allowed to sample them. The school should have used the scooters as a way of teaching the children about the dangers of bigger children on scooters around smaller children and given the children the responsibility of not putting the other children in danger. Fair enough ban scooters if scores of small children get hurt because bigger children pay no heed, but if we do not give children a chance to use their judgements how do they ever learn?

There is far too much dumbing down of children and wrapping them in cotton wool today imo. Wee Johnny is too immature and has no road sense so he cannot walk home alone therefore no-one is allowed too. Well we wouldn't allow schools to say "wee Johnny can only manage level 1 maths so that is all the children will be doing" when our children were capable of levels 3/4/5 so this is no different.

Your example of your DSD and DS is exactly what I mean. My Grandparents were the same. I was allowed to travel home from school myself aged 10 despite a long walk, a bus ride and another walk whereas my brother was hardly allowed out alone until he was in his teens because he was a nightmare - easily led, no road sense, was a dolly daydream, no sense of time or direction etc etc. My Grandparents knew that and dealt with us accordingly just as your family have with your DSD and DS. WE know our children better than the school and therefore it should be us and not a head teacher who doesn't know each child outwith the regimented atmosphere of a school, who does know know the route home etc who decides when out children are capable.

Quite! Though tbh I'm still not convinced about walking to school on your own aged 5!

Re the scooter, I should have pointed out that it was the majority of parents who voted for the new rule - it really was a 'knit your own spaghetti' kind of place. There was also a rule concerning teaching about, but not celebrating, religious occasions - yet I arrived at the school one day to find they'd decorated the hall and were having a party because it was the summer solstice :eek: Some of them really were none too bright, very 'nice' and well meaning but totally illogical.

pinkmami

My 2 DD's are in yrs 4 & 2. Up to yr2 the the children aren't allowed to leave the queue until the teacher sees the responsible guardian for the child. yrs 3 -6 leave the class & school as they wish. DD1 has been asking to walk home alone...which I don't want her to. She has 3 busy roads to cross, 2 of them have lolipop ladies (1 who isn't always there & no replacement neither) & the 3rd road has a crossing.....which crosses an "A" road and I've come across many cars who just jump the red light. So all in all I'm not allowing her to walk alone. The "B" road she has to cross is a main route to a quarry which ironically has lots of lorries out at 9am & 3pm...otherwise its pretty quiet.

I think at the end of the day its down to where you live & how the traffic is. I have to fetch DD2 at 3pm anyhow & next year I'll be fetching DS who will be attending for 4 hours a day. So I'm there. If she wants she can wakl ahead of me so I can; keep any eye out.