At what age is it OK to leave a child on their own?

I was a latchkey kid at 11 and looked after my 8 and 5 year old sisters until my mother came home from work. Our next door neighbour was aware of the situation and I always knew where to go for help. My parents also used to go out in the evenings and leave us on our own. There were no mobiles in those days, but I did know where my parents were.

gillybob, I thought it was the appeal panel member who told you that , not the LEA. Have you applied for transport yet?

I think it depends on the child. I don't remember when ( or even if) I left my children, as my neighbours were always happy to sit with them. I'm sure they were teenagers. Mind you, as teenagers there are other hazards! As tanith said, parents know their children.

I do remember that at 10 I had a key to my aunt's house, and went there after school to light their coal fire for them coming in from work, and at 14 my friend and I looked after ( fed,bathed, and put to bed) her auntie's 4 children, all under 6!

There again the same bunch of idiots people did not know that it was against the law to carry passengers in the cargo area in the back of a van.

Well according to our LEA its perfectly fine to leave an 8 year old and a 6 year old home alone while their father ferries the third child (10) to school in his van, returning to pick one of them up, (leaving the other one completely alone) and then returns yet again for the third child.

Popping to the shops in the daytime maybe 10yrs but I wouldn't be comfortable leaving a child under 15 in a hotel room unless I were downstairs in the same hotel. A whole evening at home then I would either try and get them to have a friend stay over so they had some company at 13/14. I just don't think younger children are equipped to deal with an emergency should it arise. Of course everyone will have a different opinion depending on their own experiences and the maturity of the children involved but I think most parents are a good judge of their own children.