School run in the fifties

Getting back to the OP - just to say that there was no such thing as 'a school run' in the 1950s.
Children went to school with other children, rarely with a parent, and came home from school with other children (or by themselves).
Mums didn't have cars, and not all dads did either!

Anyway, I would say definitely investigate the possibility of a school bus, if use not bikes, with the little one on a seat behind you Fiftieschick . Three miles each way is quite far for a five year old, walking or cycling.
Of course, you will have cycle helmets I hope, although there was no such thing in the 1950s!

Primary school was at the end of our street- admittedly across a main road but we went by ourselves. Secondary was further and I was given a bike or allowed to use bus when the weather was too bad. I think over 3 miles gave you a bus pass or travel allowance. There were probably fewer primary age children with long journeys because there were more small village schools, some very small-1 teacher and a handful of children. No-one worried about how much these cost to run!

I started school in the mid 50s. We lived in Harlow New Town, and there they had cycle tracks ... and I walked along those.... completely on my own... to my infants school, The Downs.

I certainly came home for lunch... so as a not quite five year old, I would walk to and fro four times a day.

It was probably 20 minutes each way - for little legs !!

Lots of children stayed for School Dinner but I didn't. And when the price of School Dinners went up, my best friend's Mum paid my Mum to cook lunch for my best friend too.

Actually, reading this, I imagine a lot of young Mums will be appalled - but that was how it was way back then !

When I started school in September 1951 I lived in a small village with the school 1.5 miles away in a bigger village. Mother took me to register on the first day but thereafter we walked in a group up hill to school and downhill home twice daily because we went home for lunch. I remember that the first winter was particularly snowy so we wore wellies and trousers under our skirts, taking them off and putting on sandshoes in the cloakroom. As we had to set off at 8.30am and did not get out of school until 4.00pm half of our journeys were in the half dark.

Later we moved up to the bigger village, Mum went back to work and we had school dinners, so walking to school was a doddle, except that we (Sister & I ) took turns going home at lunchtime to feed/walk the dog. For some strange reason, at the Academy, which served the whole County, we went by service bus in the morning, with another long walk uphill to the school but had school buses at the school at 4.00pm. These buses were infamous for departing promptly, half empty at 4.05 so I often missed it and just walked home, over the Golf Course and through the woods.

Changed days indeed. I regularly collect 1 8yo or 2 (6 & 8) DGC from 2 different Primaries in 2 nearby (3 and 4 miles) towns. Children have to be handed over to parent/GP/carer at the door but both schools have banned cars from the surrounding area. I need to find a parking space further away say half a mile and walk/run to and round the school and back to the car, which I can manage but is too far for DH. I know that the schools are trying to encourage children to walk to school, which mine do when accompanied by a parent, but they make no allowance for the many Grandparents from miles away who regularly collect their DGC.

I started school in 1951 and after the first few days I walked the 1 mile there and back by myself and going home for lunch. We lived beside an extremely busy main road that had no pedestrian crossings and I had to cross this road every time I ventured out. At seven I went to a school that was 1.5 miles from home and that meant that I had to cross another busy road, which included trams, adults didn't do school runs ... children went to school, often together.
If I could I would ban mothers in Chelsea tractors taking children to school. I live in the next street to a school and twice a day it is bedlam.

How marvellous! Good luck to you and hope you enjoy the experience. My primary school was about 10 minutes from my home and we all walked together (it was a village and the school had at most 50+ kids at a time). When I passed the 11+ I had to go to Worcester, 10 miles away, so went on the bus (there was a change too!) and from the bus station we had a choice - the bus did continue to Birmingham past my school, but there was a 10 minute rest break for the driver, so we could wait on the bus, or do the 15 minutes wlk with our mates. It generally depended on the weather, but we really enjoyed the walk. I think it's really sad that primary school kids are piled into the family car and/or have to walk with mum or dad in tow, since I feel that they aren't learning independence.

Primary: We walked about a mile and a half each way, rain or shine. Eventually we stayed for school dinners (yuk!) which cut 2 trips out of the routine. Went with Mum at first but eventually by ourselves. Happiness was finding a penny, halfpenny or even a farthing on the road, which meant we could buy fruit salads, blackjacks or sherbet at the corner shop. Loved staying with Grandmother when Mum was ill because we got to go on the bus. In Reception class, we were housed about 1/2 a mile from school so had to walk there and back to get lunch.
High School was over 5 miles away mostly along winding country roads with no pavements so we went by school bus. Sometimes in the summer we would walk home. I always remember parents of classmates (especially Ruth) who would sweep by in cars, never offering lifts even though we lived a few houses or roads apart.
My children always walked to school, primary and secondary.

I started school in 1960, dad used to put me on his bike and take me to my grandparents(about 10mins away), grandma used to walk me to school with my auntie who is the same age as me and pick us up at end of day.By the age of 6 we walked to and from school on our own, by 7 my brother was also at our school we all walked together and went home for lunch (had11/2hrs then but didn't finish school until 4pm). There were many times when I remember not being able to see a hand in front of you and having to keep hold of hands so we didn't lose each other in the fog, walked into a few lampposts at that time too.

When I was five (1928) Mum took me to school half a mile away for the first two days then I was on my own.When I was 11 had a mile walk to the train then a mile walk the other end. My Dad had a car but it was unheard of for children to be driven to school in those days. In the early 50s I walked my children to school a mile away until the elder was seven. My great grandchildren, 6 and 7 have a 20 minute walk.

I began school in 1960. My mum always took me and later my brother as well for the 20min walk. My much-older sister, when she had a job nearby, also took me sometimes. I was never allowed to walk on my own until I went to grammar school, when I had a 20min walk to the station, 20min train journey (on special carriages) and a 25min walk at the other end. No wonder everyone was slim and fit, in those days.

A very few children at primary school came by car but they tended to be children who, for whatever reason, lived outside the normal catchment area.

I believe even then, the rules were that transport was provided if an under-8yo had to walk more than two miles, while it was three miles for over-8s. No one did come further than that in my town so no buses.

My own son started school in the 80's, when we lived in a remote area of Scotland. He took himself to school after the first week because he was embarrassed because no one else's mum came to school. How times have changed!

Thank you for all your experiences? I couldn't feel safe letting them walk or go on the bus on there own. Times definetely have changed.....i was a child in the 80s and 90s and I walked to school on my own too, but it wasn't far. Its a shame we are so scared to let our children out on their own these days, it really is.
I think it will have to be bike or bus. On the bike I will have to tow the youngest two in a trailer and let the 8 year old ride his own. I know my five year old wouldn't be able to ride her bike for 3 miles that's for sure. Kids are spoilt these days and no wonder we have such a problem with obesity. Nobody would be obese if they had to ride their bike 6 miles every day!

The parking near many schools is a real hazard. On one busy narrow road with constant traffic, including many big trucks, parents often park actually at a bus stop as well as half on the pavement. Head teachers sometimes appeal to them, with limited success. Police don't seem to see it as their problem, two passing pcws, when asked, said they didn't think it was a police matter. So selfish.
Waiting a bit too early for DGD outside her school I sat in a bus shelter and did a sudoku. A mum illegally parked nearby worriedly moved off and parked in a side road instead, she must have thought I was taking car reg numbers. Maybe someone should!

FiftiesChick12 what's needed is properly planned cycle tracks as in many other countries. The Netherlands, I believe, got it right decades ago.

I doubt if there was a school run as such. A school walk more like it. We always lived in towns with schools reasonably nearby.
Our local area is fairly rural. There are a lot of village schools over an area with a lot of pavement less country lanes. With so many more cars about it is just not safe for most childrens to walk and some secondary school get bussed about 8 miles..

However even in our small town with easy reach of 5 primary schools and a good comp you find alot of children now delivered to school.
One problem with this might be, that as so many parents both now work, taking time to deliver your children to school and then go back home to drive off to work takes too much time.
I had this once I started working part time and mine were small. The school was in the same direction as I needed to go to get to work It was just not practical to walk to school and back and set off again.

Lucky all of you. I was sent to boarding school at the age of 8 so no walk to school but if it was cold outside we had to run to the main gate and back at break time 1 mile in total (1954-1958) hated it and the school.

At one of my many schools I had to first get a bus across the airfield to the village - stopping between runways if there was anything landing/taking off. I then had to catch a train, usually non corridor so heaven knows who you were sitting beside! I finished off with a 10 minute walk from the station to school. I think I would be around 12 at the time. Other schools when I was younger were walked to with other children regardless of distance. For those of you who know Edinburgh my brother, when aged around 7, used to travel by bus from Corstorphine to the top of the Grassmarket and then walk up the Vennel to Heriot's. This was way before the Grassmarket became the gentrified area it is today.

two passing pcws, when asked, said they didn't think it was a police matter. So selfish
Our police are sometimes very good and pro-active and will come to see if anyone is illegally parked. However, one very belligerent school dad threatened and nearly punched the poor pcso who was about half his size.

Waiting a bit too early for DGD outside her school I sat in a bus shelter and did a sudoku. A mum illegally parked nearby worriedly moved off and parked in a side road instead, she must have thought I was taking car reg numbers. Maybe someone should!
Love it!!

I must say that when it came to DC3 I used to take her by car although the school wasn't very far away, it was on my way to work and it made sure she was at school on time!
She has to get to school on time nowadays because she is a teacher

I walked to school in the 50's with older siblings for first two years then wanted to go on my own. It was just over a mile and the only children who had transport lived in outlying farms which were well over the three mile limit. I got a new bike for christmas when I was twelve so I cycled after that.

Its just not safe these days for young children tpo be going to school on their own IMO.
Its a different dangerous world out there.
Forget trying to turn the clock back and keep your little ones safe. They are much more valuablr than anything.

I don't think the OP is actually planning to send her children off to walk the three miles to school on their own!

She's just asking what it was like in the 50s...

School 5 miles distant- age 5 ,Mum took me on service bus for first day ,after that I was on my own. Not really though as we lived in a small mining community and the big kids looked out for the young ones. It would not happen these days ,but we learned valuable lessons in community responsibility and formed friendships across the age groups. I wish my own children had had the same freedoms.

I only had just over a mile to get to school in 1956. I walked part of the way in the morning as my father took me and we caught a bus for some of the way. In the afternoon I walked home with my mum.

Bez statistics suggest that there is not a greater risk to children today in terms of 'stranger danger'. The increased risk is more traffic.

DH went to boarding school so from the age of 8, after his mother had taken him the first time, he had to get himself by train from the West Country to London then another train to where his school was.