Children walking to school

My mother took me to school on my first day, afterwards I walked there and back. This was 1949 onwards, there was only one road to cross, and very little traffic. I was the oldest of five, and had to walk with my younger siblings when they started school.
My own two children walked to school from primary as well. There was one road outside our house which I saw them over, and another one further to the school.In the early days I walked with them as far as the second road. Their primary school allowed chidren to arrive on their own, but had to be picked up by a parent or responsible adult.This was because there were some separated families where the mother had forbidden the father any contact. In these cases if the mother was unable to collect the child, she had to introduce the person who was allowed to pick up the child to the staff, and inform the school on the day.
My grandchildren were all driven and collected from primary school, but made their own way to and from secondary school.

I walked to school in London with my brother, 2 years older, from the age of 7.
From the age of 11 I took 2 busses across London to get to school.

DH travelled alone by tube to his school. He was recognised by the underground staff on duty, who would have noticed if he was not on the usual train!

Oh for the old days! x

Depends so much on the amount of traffic in the area - they've also got to 'feel' ready themselves and so much better if they can meet up with friends and go together.

I was stopped and questioned by the police when walking in Miami (in my forties) and it is almost impossible to walk anywhere in LA. I suspect that the sheer volume of traffic these days is one of the main reasons people drive their children to school, thus adding to the sheer volume of traffic…

But what do you think about the appalling driving, speeding, parking all over the place including in areas with clear 'no parking' signs, zig-zags, zebra crossing, and more. You can talk to any Head of any school, and they will tell you it is a very dangerous nightmare.

Where we live in rural France there's no question of children walking to school. It's too far. The school bus picks them up at the nearest point to their home - very early. And they come home late - it's a long day.
I wonder if this makes them less independent, overweight etc?

Traffic and more awareness of stranger danger (I keep my counsel about that), along with working parents means many more children are driven to school. Cars are the main worry for most parents I suspect. Traffic is so heavy and so fast, even in suburban or country areas. I accept that some parents can be considered over protective, but I sympathise with them given the way in which parents are blamed for almost everything that goes wrong in the lives of their children.

In many areas, walking buses have stopped because there were not enough parents or GPs to volunteer, sadly. The dangers of cars parking near the school, often on zebra crossing or zigzags- seems far greater than that of walking on pavements to school. All the schools I taught at, and the ones my kids attended and now GKs- write to parents again, and again, and againg and more- and some parents totally ignore all the requests, speed up to and from school- practically take off at the 'sleeping policemen', park where it is really not safe to do so, and obscure the zebra crossings, etc. It is appalling- really shocked to witness this again when we go and GCs sit.

Myself and my brother and sisters all walked to school on our own or maybe with pals, a distance of about a mile, thought nothing of it. When our children started school, we lived opposite, so no problems there. But when we moved here we were living, to start with, out in the countryside, about a mile and a half from the school, with 2 children still at primary school age, and we started work at 8am. They went to a neighbour till time for school, then walked about a mile down a country lane, then past houses, till the main road and lollipop lady, then another half mile to school. This was in the late 1970s, I know it would be frowned on nowadays.

Anya walking buses still operate in this area.

They're a great idea.

My children travelled to school, in the next city, on their own from 11 years old. The local primary school was just round the corner so after the first week they went on their own even at four.

As others have said in USA people don't walk anywhere in towns and most of the kids catch the school bus . I don't think any 9yr old should be responsible for someone else..

(to school, that was. Sorry - left a bit out)

I watched a documentary the other day about two little unwanted Chinese babies who were adopted (sadly) into two different families, in different countries. One was brought up in the States, the other in a small Norwegian village. The little American girl was taken everywhere by car, whilst the Norwegian girl, (looked about nine) was expected to walk -in the pitch black darkness, through ice and snow - on her own every morning!

Talk about different societies!

Some areas of Bootle and Crosby had 'walking buses' ..these are organised by the schools and manned by trained parents or TAs. Following specified routes, they walk the children to school in an ever-growing crocodile from specified pick up points. The children all wore bright tabbards which read 'Walking Bus' on them.

This was about 2000-2006. I don't know if they still operate.

Sadly, our kids are often suffering from being 'over' protected- some never walk, have no street or traffic sense, physical balance, and suffer from obesity. Of course it depends on the area. I just love to see the kids walking to school here, chatting away and getting plenty of fresh air. Thinking about the route my kids walked when they were little (in the UK) I don't think it is any more dangerous now than then.

Yes, it was the norm for our generation to walk or get the bus to school from an early age. I was getting the bus alone from age 5, and at 7 was in charge of getting my younger sister there and back too.

Of course there was far less traffic.

Nobody walks anywhere in America (unless it is Bill Bryson in the woods)

ps to the question asked - it all depends on the nature of the route and the maturity of the children.

Mine are in their Late 40s now and they all used to walk on their own, from 5-6, a 10 minute walk. They always had friends to walk with, and back home.
There was one minor road to cross, and a main road with a lollipop lady.
At one time one daughter started to go home with one of her friends without telling me, so I had to step in for a while. Another time she arrived home with a doll's pram she had "found"! So that had to be taken back.
I would be more protective these days as there's a lot more traffic on the roads.

I walked to school alone on my first day (it was my 5th birthday) and every day thereafter. I had only one road to cross and I walked with my older sister and brother (aged 7 and 6). It was the norm. When I moved house at age 7 I still walked to school with my siblings, then including my 5 year old brother, and that meant crossing many roads. During the summer holidays we went for free school meals, unaccompanied, to a school that was two bus rides away.
My own children were walked to and from school every day until they started secondary school.
In terms of the OP I think it depends very much on the context, but no, I wouldn't think it was appropriate.

It was very different when I was young, I walked a mile across fields after mum had crossed me over the road, and she'd be watching for me when I came home. Occasionally my dad would take me on his motor bike.
I guess I was doing it solo from about 5 years old? Scary to think about it now!
Once my siblings started school mum would walk all of us the 'long way round' by road, both ways.
Senior school was a 30 minute walk in to town to catch the bus.
I never expected my DD to look after her brother, it just didn't happen for some reason.

I was going to school by bus and taking another girl of 5 when I was 6. No-0ne thought it was odd.

When mine were small they did not walk to school as the schools were too far away, as we live out in the country.

To add I had to catch a bus alone at 9-10 to go to junior school as mum worked. At infants school I lived right opposite the school gate. Mum would see me across the road and watch me go through the gate from outside our house.
I agree, country lanes and no pavements are a factor. My DC route was through residential streets in town. A journey of about 10 mins.

Is there less traffic? I was always so worried that my sisters would step into the road.