Deciding to let your child go alone to school is not trivial. It is important that he has the age and maturity necessary to circulate in the street without an adult by his side. Our advice.
At the start of the school year or during the year, many parents wonder if their child is ready to go alone for the school. The question often comes back at the time of entering college, sometimes even at the initiative of the child who wishes more autonomy. But between the dangers of traffic and the fear of bad meetings, parents hesitate to take the plunge.
At what age can we let a child go alone to school?
In most cases, A child is able to go alone to school around the age of 11. At this age, he is “Capable of predicting the evolution of situations, anticipating and ensuring its safety alone”, specifies the Road Prevention association on its site. Make sure that the journey between school and the house is well assimilated, that the latter is short and secure, and that the child knows the road safety rules (borrow pedestrian passages, watch traffic before crossing, not running on the road, etc.). Before the age of 7, it is not recommended to leave your child on the street alone to go to schoolbecause he does not yet have the reflexes to ensure his own safety. Certainly it can Walking alone without giving your parents’ hand, but that does not mean that he can move alone permanently.
At what age can it go by bicycle to school?
Moreover, Avoid letting your child go by bike alone to school before the age of 12. Indeed, your child must know how to master his bike well, know the traffic rules, and adapt his conduct according to the situations. Without forgetting, the safety equipment by bicycle (helmet, vest, bell, lighting and signaling, etc.).
What are the risks to let a child too young go to school alone?
Young children are particularly vulnerable on the roadwayfor the most part because of their small size which does not allow them to be as visible as an adult on the road by drivers, but also because Until about 7 years old, a child is not able to see what is happening on the sides. And if he sees a car arriving, he is convinced that his driver also sees it! Small schoolchildren also have difficulties in assessing distances and the origin of noise. Indeed, “Dyears 40 % of cases, the child is mistaken between a noise from opposite or from behind and in 80 % between a noise coming from right or left“, Specifies road safety. In addition, children are often dominated by their emotions (stress, anxieties), and sometimes act impulsively and spontaneously.
What is the authorization to return to school alone?
At the start of the school year, some schools ask parents to fill in a authorization indicating that their child can return to school alone. A message of this type generally appears on the document:
“I, the undersigned, madam/Mr. __________ Legal responsible for the child _____________ school at school ___ in the class of _____, authorizes my child to leave school by his own means at the end of the lessons.”
Sometimes parents can even choose the day (s) when their child is authorized to return from school without being accompanied.
