Walking to and from school

Walking to and from school

Dear Resident

What age can a child come home from school alone?

There’s no legal age that your child can travel home from school alone – this is up to you and your best judgement, or your school’s rules and policies. However, you should never leave a child alone who isn’t ready or is unable to care for themselves – learn more about leaving children home alone.

Every child is different – but some schools advise children under 8 shouldn't walk home without an adult or older sibling.

If you and your child do feel they’re ready to come home alone, it helps to go over some rules about staying safe.

Make sure they know their address and your telephone number by heart, in case they get lost or have to navigate home from somewhere new.

If they have a mobile phone, remind them to fully charge it before leaving the house, and make sure they have all your contact numbers saved.

Talk to them about road safety. They should always look both ways before crossing the street, and never be on their phone whilst crossing a road.

Remind them never to accept a lift from someone they don’t know, or let a stranger into the house. They should never give personal information away – in real life or online.

Remind them that if they feel unsafe or uncomfortable at any time, they can call you or a trusted adult.

If they ever feel like they’re in immediate danger, they should call the police straight away on 999.

There is lots of other information on the NSPCC on the website about safety and other parental advice - www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/away-from-home/at-school.

Kind regards,

PCSO WILLIAMS

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Message Sent By
Sarah Williams
(Police Community Support Officer, PCSO, Castlefields and Bagley)