8/8/2019 Travelling to School Without An adult

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Travelling to school without an adultBy colinbuchanan

There has been a lot of debate (and here) recently about what is the appropriate age thatchildren should be able to go to school without being accompanied by a responsible adult.

To help inform this debate we undertook a short internet based survey that was

publicised through our twitter account.

The aim of the survey was to: identify the age that people who are adults now went to

school without an adult; whether this age has changed over time; whether there is any

correlation between this age and the perceived safety of the route to school and whether

there is any correlation between the age parents first went to school without an adult and

the age they allow their own children to travel to school unaccompanied by an adult.

While the survey cannot claim to be statistically significant it did highlight a number of 

interesting points.

The average age that respondents first went to school unaccompanied by an adult was

8.4. However, this age was noticeably different by age of respondents. For those aged 40

and above the average age was 7.4, this increased to 8.2 for those 30-40 and for those

aged under 30 the average age was 8.9 (survey respondents were aged between 16 and

58.). So it would appear that as time has gone by fewer children travel to school

unaccompanied.

Age now

Average age when first went toschool unaccompanied by an

adult

All ages 8.4

40-60 7.430-39 8.2

Under 30 8.9

This has occurred at the same time as the number of women entering the workforce has

increased markedly (women are still significantly more likely to take their children to

school than men) so time pressures would make it more difficult for parents to

accompany their children to school.

For those aged under 40 there was no correlation between the age that people went to

school unaccompanied by an adult and perceptions of the safety of the route. That is, if 

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the route was perceived to be safe or not had no bearing on whether they were

accompanied by an adult. However, for those over 40 there is a good correlation between

age and perceived safety. That is, the more unsafe the route was perceived to be the

more likely they would be older before they were allowed to go unaccompanied by an

adult.

So did the adults’ experiences as a child impact on whether they allow their own children

to go unaccompanied to school? The answer would appear to be no. The average age that

the respondents let their own children go to school unaccompanied by an adult was even

higher at 9.5 years old. Comparing the age when the respondents themselves went to

school unaccompanied and the age they let their children go to school unaccompanied

shows the later was 1.6 years older than they were. Again there was no correlation

between the perceived safety of the route and the age parents were prepared to let their

children travel unaccompanied by an adult.

While the survey would not stand up to serious statistical scrutiny it does appear to

indicate that we are, over a long time period, becoming ever more protective of our

children which is probably not a healthy situation to be in.

Why are we increasingly not letting our young children out unaccompanied? Road safety

and stranger danger are the two most commonly quoted reasons.

In looking at pedestrian causalities it is notable that in 1979 the number of 4-11 year

olds killed or seriously injured in Wales (the data set I had readily to hand and there is no

reason to suggest the figures for the rest of the UK are not similar) was 234 which had

fallen to just 35 by 2009. Are the roads becoming safer for children or have accident

rates fallen because fewer children are out on their own? As for stranger danger, serious

crimes against children are incredibly rare (the majority are committed by people known

to the child) and there is no evidence to suggest the absolute level of such crimes has

increased. Paradoxically it is teenage children who are allowed to travel unaccompanied

who are far more at risk of various “street crimes” such as robbery, actual bodily harm as

well as harassment.

So how do we explain the changes in the way we treat our children and reverse the

situation we have ended up in? Interested to know your views. As would I am sure

the Walk to School campaign.