8 year old independent arrival

[emler]

Hi all

I have an eight year old starting next week after school. Her mum mentioned that after a few weeks she could walk to my house after school without me having to collect her. Does anyone have kids arrive independently? Am trying to put together a policy and I'm a bit lost!

Emler x

[angeldelight]

Sorry I can not help Emler

I have been asked to do this but I refused

What happens if something happens on the way home - what would you do?

I have younger children so it would mean I would panic and have to get all the younger ones ready too to go and look for the child

Who would be responsible if the child wanders off somewhere - mabe to a friends house or something

I would let an older child do this once they had left junior school

That is just me though - we are all different

Angel xx

[emler]

I'm really not comfortable with the idea of her heading to my house alone.
To be honest I think its more about the girl being embarrassed to be met at the school gates by me and 3 little ones when her other friends are going home alone.
Think I will explain to mum that I'm not happy at the idea and see what she says

Emler x

[angeldelight]

You could always meet her away from the school gate but not to far

I think 8 is very young still

I collect some children the same age and would not be happy if mom said they wanted to come home alone

Angel xx

[emler]

If it was my own child I wouldn't want her walking home alone at that age either.
If after the first few weeks they mention it again I will suggest meeting slightly away from the school gates. Thanks Angel

Emler x

[bubbly]

Blimey, 8 years old and walking home alone! I'm shocked. Anything could happen and it sometimes does.

[miffy]

Hi Emler

I agree, I think 8 is very young to be walking home alone and a big responsibility for you - at what point would you accept responsibility, very tricky.

Talk to mum and see if you can reach a compromise

Miffy xx

[Blaze]

I have done & a lot of minders in my area have this age walk to them...if you pm me your email again I send you my policy/permission form on this. (Not that I let my 8 year old walk though)!!! My ex friend & quite a few others give their 10 year olds keys! Sometimes I think the world is mad...& then I wonder if it's me...but I always feel always better to be safe then sorry! It's all down to parental views.
Tasha:)

[emler]

Thanks Tasha

Emler x

[Blaze]

All sent...should have it any second...if not already!
Tasha:)

[Schnakes]

I personally wouldnt do this with a mindee, because as has already been said - that child is your responsibility. I want to know that if anything bad happened to a child while they were in my responsbility then I had done everything possible to make sure that that didnt happen. If that makes any sense at all!

That said, one of my friends is a very experienced childminder - I look to her for advice on everything (poor thing!!!). She lets her kids over 8 walk home from school, and has permission forms to say so. If the parents suggest it and you arent miles from the school I would have to say that if it were me - Id have another think about it!

Sx

[sarah707]

My children both walked back independently from age 8 onwards... although I always took them to school, so I could keep in touch at one end of the day with what was going on there.

School encouraged independent walking... so long as the child is sensible, has a mobile phone and you know about clubs etc., then I think it's good for the parent to give some responsibility to the child.

I have a couple of over 8s who walk back now - I have paperwork I adapted from Bromley.

Hope this helps!

[manjay]

Sorry but there is no way I would let my 8 year old walk home from school on her own whether the school encouraged it or not!!

I would only be happy with this arrangement once they are at high school. I don't think I would do it for mindees either. As Angel says once they leave school I would see them as my responsibility and would find it really difficult with younger ones if they did not turn up on time. Our primary school does not allow mobile phones so I would have no way of contacting them.

BUT as we always say your business your rules. If you are happy to do it and have all the permissions in place go for it.

amanda xx

[angeldelight]

Our primary school does not allow mobile phones either

Also the 8 year olds that I collect from school have to have a parent or someone collect them

They are NOT allowed out of school if someone is not collecting them

Angel xx

[oakie dokie]

my daughter is 8 next week, sorry but the answer is no, i personnally would not let them walk home on their own, i have only just let my 11 year old walk home. its just not safe, we have had a child nearly snatched at the school gates a few months ago by a man, and that was at 5 to 9 with everyone about. we live in a small town out in the sticks. i just would not risk it.

hazelx

[emler]

Thanks everyone - will keep you updated on this one!

Emler x

[angeldelight]

Good luck Emler

Angel xx

[miffy]

Hope you get it sorted soon

Miffy xx

[LittleMissSparkles]

i mind a 10 year old boy whos mum gives him permission to walk to my home unattended so to speak,school is 5 minuts down the road from my house on the same side of the road and he usually is within sight off me anyhow, most of the timehe actually walks with us ! I got her to sign a permission ofrm and to say she understood i could not be responcible for him until he arrived at my home etc which she happily signed to !

xxx

[ruby]

we have a few over eight's they walk on in front of us but must wait at the corner or the road for us to get their before going on once they get to our road they can go on down to the house as either me or rachel are at home
our 10year's old go to after school club and walk back to my house on their own we only live 5 minutes from the scholl and we have parents premission form but am not happy with this but it is what the parents want
but we are lucky that there are two of us so that if they are not back on time one of us can go looking. which has not happened yet thank god.
cathy

[Rubybubbles]

Our primary school does not allow mobile phones either

Also the 8 year olds that I collect from school have to have a parent or someone collect them

They are NOT allowed out of school if someone is not collecting them

Angel xx

same here, but we have lower middle and high school so when there 9 they all walk home off the bus by themselves! I'm very luck as the area is very close together, I can see the pre-school/creche from my house (to the left) and the lower school gates (to my right) then the school bus is also visable from my house too!! But never had this crop up, when I did have school runs I picked up the 8 yr old and when I heard the school bus I waited at the front door as I could see the mindie getting off, she'd wave and start walking down the path

[Lou]

I have only just caught up with this,

My son is 9, (10 in May) and he still walks home with me. I am lucky that i have to pick dd up anyway so im there for that (she is only4) but even so, i dont want him to walk home on his own until he goes to secondary school.

(I dont mind if he walks on ahead of me

IMO 8 is FAR too young to be walking home on own, and as has been said, the minute the child leaves the school grounds they would be your responsibility.

Sorry but i wouldnt do it.

[jo f]

O blinkin ek! 8 is very young. Anythin could happen and although paper work would be signed etc I would still worry every day until tey arrived, and would never forgive myself if anythin happened. Keep us posted on how you go on!X

[Sarsar3NCH]

My son walks home on his own quite often. We live on a smallish estate and it takes about 10-15 mins. I allow hime to do this because from Sept aged just 9 he will transfer to middle school and travel to and from school by bus and need to walk to bus stop by himself due to timings. I would rather he learned some independence now while I am in some control (i.e. still close by with many other people about who know him and lots of friends to walk with (also without parents) than suddenly thrown in at the deep end in Sept and maybe not be streetwise enough to deal with it.

Maybe it depends where you live and on the child? We all have our own opinions but I worry that we may be creating a generation of teenagers who are not at all streetwise.

Sar

[buildingblocks]

IMO 8 is FAR too young to be walking home on own, and as has been said, the minute the child leaves the school grounds they would be your responsibility. Sorry but i wouldnt do it.

A jard one this as at the end of the day it is the parents chcoice not ours. would depend on how far and the child I suppse.

Lou my paperwork says that I am not responsible for them until they are on my premises. I also have an agreement with child and parent that allows x amount of time for them to reach my house and if they are not there by then I notify the parent.

[Minnie Minx]

omg i would have such a go at my brother and sil if charlotte started walking home from school alone, i think it was different in the old days but not nowadays but saying that my parents never let me walk home alone at that age, my god 8 years is still a baby to me lol ifykwim

I also wouldn't accept the child if the parents insisted on her walking home alone, it goes against all of my principals and i would rather lose money then go against them. Good luck leanne



xxx

[deeb66]

I am sorry but there is no way, as a parent, that I would allow a child to walk home on their own at the age of 8.

I have never been in the situation where a minded child of that age walks home alone either but not sure I would be happy to do this even with written parental permission.

I only started to allow my son to come home from school on his own last October and that is only because he is now in senior school and he will be 12 in ten days time.

I don't know if any of you remember a girl of 13 being abducted on her way home from school a couple of years ago.....her name was Milly Dowler.

I live in that area in fact the school that Milly was going home from is the same one that Jack is now at!!!

Even at this age I am not happy about letting him go to and come home from school on his own but have to accept that he is growing up and let him have his independence.

there is no way I would have allowed him to walk on his own at the age of 8!!!!!!

[emler]

UPDATE:-

I spoke to mum about this and told her that I was really unhappy at the thought of her daughter walking to my house alone after school. She was absolutely fine about it. We have agreed that I will meet her slightly away from the school gates at a point where I will be able to see her actually leave the school (about 30 seconds away!). I feel so much better now. I met her from school on Wednesday and she was fine with it. Phew I can relax now. As I said before, there's no way I'd let my 8 year old walk that distance alone after school and I was really worried at the thought of my mindee doing it. Thankfully she won't be! Thanks for all your replies

Emler x

[deeb66]

I am glad you have got it sorted out Emler.

At least you have come up with a compromise that you are all happy with - well done

[Minnie Minx]

really glad you've sorted it out leanne, but my god at 8 years old the girl shouldn't care if you meet her at the school gate, i hope she doesn't turn out to be hard work for you :)



xxx

[Blaze]

Glad you got it sorted...I would NEVER let C walk home alone (she's 8), although half her year does & they live further away!:eek:
Tasha:)

[miffy]

Glad you've got this sorted Leanne

Miffy xx

[cloud9]

Although 8 is still quite young i'd have to say as with every aspect of the childcare we provide we have to respect the wishes of the parent.If you do feel that strongly against it i would say you shouldn't really take on the child. If a parent said they didn't want there child not to have any sweets or t.v you'd adhere to it regardless of whether you thought it was right or not.

However saying that i would either put a very clear policy in place stating that the parent takes Full responsibility for the duration of the walk from school to your home stating you are then responsible when she arrives at your home. i would also include what would happen in the event the child didn't arrive in the time frame you would expect.
Hope this helps and good luck!

[jaja]

i used to meet a 11 year old half way home with his 9 year old brother, but i hated it, i used to make an excuse to drive and pick them up, i was passing or thought it was going to rain etc i wouldnt do it again unless they moved to secondary school. All depends on what parents want and how children have been brought up.

I was walking my ds home from school and he asked why other children were on their own, i told him that eventually he would walk home alone and he burst into tears and said he would never do that! he always wanted mummy to pick him up! bless him he is 6! lol :laughing: