School run in the fifties

I was at school in the fifties, on the other side of town. I always walked or rode my bike. Nothing unusual in that as all my friends did the same.
The only mishap I had happened on the day I was due to sit my English O level exam. I was stung by a wasp (or bee), slammed on my brakes and flew over the handlebars and banged my head on the road... I was taken to Casualty, then home, and was allowed to sit the exam some days later.
Apart from that, and the day I carried home a rice pudding, which I made in Domestic Science, in my saddle bag with disastrous results, it was uneventful and I took it for granted. No lifts in those days.

From 5 to 11, school was 10 minutes' walk away. As someone commented earlier, in the late 40s and 50s not many families owned cars. Then my mother (an inveterate snob) decided to send me to a school in London. As we lived way out in Essex and the school was a day school, this meant a 20 minute walk to the railway station, three quarters of an hour on the train (then the old steam trains) to Fenchurch Street, a ten minute walk to the Underground at Tower Hill, another twenty minutes or so to Blackfriars, then a short walk to school. I left the house at 7am and was rarely home before 5 pm. As both parents worked, I hated the winter, coming home to a cold, dark house. Not academic, I didn't benefit from the school anyway, so it was a waste of money. I would have been so much happier at the local grammar school!

Born in 1947, I walked to school from my first day aged 5 with a girl aged 7 who lived across the road. It was about a quarter of a mile with one main road. However very little traffic in those days. When I went to grammar school aged 11 in the centre of town I went by bus. We went everywhere by bus or walked so as a teenager I always had to catch the last bus home from town.

My DD walks her two boys to and from school every day. They run on and then stop at the pavement edge until she catches up then they cross when she tells them to, even if the road was clear. When I walk with them they do it automatically.

I had a big sister & brother who took me to school every day & home again...Thank ~ you to both of them for keeping me safe...❤️❤️

I lived near the school so even in primary school I walked alone, there was always the local 'dirty old man' to look out for but we were all told not to speak to him and not to accept sweeties from strangers even women. It seemed to work for us no one I know got abducted and the local road was quiet, sometimes with cattle or horses going along apart form the occasional car or bus.

By Taxi then by school bus-3 unforgettable miles.(1954-60)

At age 5 in 1959 I walked to infant school on my first day with the girl next door who was 6! After that I went alone. When my younger brother started I took him. It wasn't far but involved a gated level crossing though roads were quiet then. Junior school was a bit further but there was a lollipop lady for the only main road we had to cross. Secondary school was just under 3 miles away so I went by bus. When I was older I sometimes walked in the summer to save the bus fare. My brother thought it was unfair because his school was just over 3 miles so he got a contract bus for free and couldn't 'earn' the money by walking!

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.

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

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.

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 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...

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 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

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!

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!

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 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.

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.