Is this acceptable?

[madmondeo]

I walk along a particular road to school with my 5 year old step son. The school is at the top of this road. Its a third of a mile long with two busy sets of junctions; crossroads. A classmate of my step sons walks to school on his own! We have seen him everyday this week and last week too.

Do you think that is ideal for a 5 year old??

[woofgang]

No!

[ljdksa]

My son is 7 and a half. I walk him. He can be easily distracted.

[sherrardk]

No - what are the parents thinking of?

[eyethenkyew]

Express your misgivings firstly to the kid's parents. No reasonable parent would mind a genuine enquiry if it's to do with a child's welfare, but just in case they do, report your concerns to the school.

[mike11111]

Sorry, but my mother took me to school and brought me back home on the first day (1954), just so that I could familiarise myself with the route. On the second day I was on my own. Anyone over 50 will crease themselves laughing at your concerns.

[DTCwordfan]

get the guillotine out and the spike on top of your town gate madmondeo.....

It is somewhat much in this day and age of predators etc etc - 45 years ago I walked this sort of distance then cycled - but then it was relatively safe.

[eyethenkyew]

mike,

I'm of your generation and I do remember walking about a mile to school when I was quite young. But for a start there was nowhere near the amount of traffic in those days compared to now, so I for one certainly am not creasing myself laughing.

[sophie_1003]

Not ideal but there could be a multitude of things going on at home which makes this situation the best. The school are probably aware of it but you could mention your concerns to the headteacher just to be sure; perhaps you could offer to help out by walking him to school with your step-son?

[sherrardk]

My ten year old occassionally walks home on his own if he is late coming out of school (after football or swimming, etc). My five and seven year olds would be a nightmare walking to school on their own as they have the attention span of gnats. I hadn't even factored in the danger of others when I initially said no.

[eyethenkyew]

Does he seem to have to walk back home alone as well?

[ummmm]

No....not at all.

[welshlibranr]

my grandson is five in a couple of months, he is not allowed out of the garden alone, he just isn't old enough or sensible enough yet by far!................don't understand why this little chap is allowed to walk to school alone at this age!................

[woofgang]

Mike I am well over 50, lived in London as a child and wasn't allowed to walk to school on my own till I was 10. This was about the norm apart from the kids who lived in the flats next to the school and they started to be trusted on their own aged about 8. We weren't pampered or privileged, just normal working class.

[anneasquith]

before some abers make comments about this situation, no one knows the facts as to why this child is walking to school alone, the good thing about it is, you madmo have noticed so although alone you are aware of him.

[B00]

I'd speak to the school, no point having a confrontation with the parents (providing you see them obviously!). I'm sure the school will take a dim view of him walking to school on his own too.

[eyethenkyew]

Wow, wow, wow! Whoever's in favour of making the school the first port of call, do you actually realise what you're saying? How would YOU like it if the first thing you knew was someone banging on your door demanding to know why your kid's allowed to walk to school alone?

There may be a perfectly feasible reason? No, bite the bullet and approach the parents first. This is what's wrong in today's society, people, maybe with the best intentions, make a complete hash of a situation like this. Why not at least give the parents the benefit of the doubt first before unleashing the dogs of war on them?

[sophie_1003]

Telling the school is hardly 'unleashing the dogs of war'; the school aren't exactly going to go round and demand to know all the details of the situations; it is likely that something like this would be handled very sensitively. As I said it is likely the school already know.

[eyethenkyew]

Well, my school certainly didn't "know" that I used to walk a mile there on my own at a young age - and, yes, my parents were extremely loving - and, yes, it was a responsible school.

But why should a school "know" anything of the sort? That's sheer guesswork. There could be a perfectly legitimate explanation for it. But I know that if I was the parent and someone "grassed me up" to the school for a perhaps innocent reason, I wouldn't be best pleased.

Especially when they hadn't had the decency, or backbone, to ask me first. Too easy to do it your way - saves any potentially embarrassing backdown on your part, huh?