Childcare at 7.45am

rachbc

I am fairly liberal with what I allow my kids to do but wouldn't want my 7 yo taking herself to breakfast club. Ours require them to be signed in and out so that may be an issue. I do have a friend who had a similar problem and she paid one of the breakfast club staff privately to pick up the kids on the way to the club and take them in

Gigervamp

I wonder if OP has been able to sort something out.

chickenpants

Not sure if it has already been mentioned but you could try speaking to some of the teaching assistants at the school. I am also a teacher and know of several teaching assistants at our school who are paid to look after children both before and after school. I myself drop my youngest daughter off at 7:45 with a teaching assistant who works in the infant section of her primary, who then takes her into school for me on her way to work. If your children's school has a nice head they may even let you put a note up in the staff room to find out if anyone would be interested. It gets easier when they are in secondary school and can get the bus to and from school

elaine373

With the greatest of respect as I do understand your predicament, I don't think you should be taking a chance on your children's safety, however sensible they may be.The world is a mad place and your children are extremely young to be going it alone, even if it is for 15 minutes.Could you not put an advert in your local newsagents for a baby sitter/ childminder for the gap that is causing you problems. You would obviously have to check the person out before hiring them. I hope you get this problem sorted.

orangeslimes

I used to walk to and from primary school at around the age of 9. Either with my younger sister or a friend. Nothing ever happened to me.
I'm sure it was just as safe/dangerous in the 1990's as it is now.

FBaby

With the greatest of respect as I do understand your predicament, I don't think you should be taking a chance on your children's safety, however sensible they may be.

Sorry, don't mean to be patronizing, but this made me smile. We take a 'chance' with our children's safety all the time. That's the balance we parents make between keeping them safe and teaching them to become independent beings. We make a judgement based on culture, values, common sense, gut feelings etc... All in all, it means there are not usually huge variance between parents, but enough that some think there are in a position to judge.

moomoomama27

I work I a school, and the rules of our breakfast club are that children need to be booked in advance, and have to arrive with an adult. Children are not permitted on site until the breakfast club opens.

The school rule is children under year 5 have to be bought and collected from school each day by an adult or carer over the age of 16. If they are bought in by young siblings, or alone, then they are flagged for a cause for concern, which could ultimately be referred to social services.


Personally, and I live in a very quiet area, approx 6 mins from the school, but with a couple of main roads to cross, would never allow a child as young as 7 to go alone!! I started letting my children walk back from school at about age 10.


I would be more concerned that in that 15 minutes before the club opened they are vulnerable. Accidents, bad weather. Ask about, you may find another mum en route willing to take them in, or a day care centre that takes them in. We have 3 local day are centres that will take a child up to the age of 11 to school. Might be worth checking out?

squirrelchops

Developmentally, children under the age of 8 years of age have not fully developed their spacial skills. Therefore the dangers of road traffic for example and judging speed/distance of moving traffic is more hazardous for this age range.

This needs to be considered along with other risk factors/contingecy plan of letting children take themselves to school.

FBaby

The breakfast/afterschool club allowed my son in year 4 to walk from his school to the club when he had a football class right after school ion the school premises. The school was happy for him to walk alone to the afterschool club and the club was happy for this to happen as long as I gave permission. It was about 5-10 mns walk with one road to cross.

It shows that even amongst professionals trained in safeguarding children, there are different rules based on different perception of danger, so it's no surprise there are even bigger differences amongst parents.

FBaby

Developmentally, children under the age of 8 years of age have not fully developed their spacial skills.

Because all 8 year olds develop the same?