Starting secondary school often brings a change that has nothing to do with lessons or uniform.
For many children, September will be the first time they regularly travel without a parent beside them.
That might mean walking a familiar route alone, taking a bus with friends or managing a journey that involves crossing busier roads than they are used to.
For children, that independence can feel exciting. For parents, it can feel rather different.
Readiness is more than knowing the route
Knowing which bus to catch or where to turn is only part of travelling independently.
Children also need to make decisions when something unexpected happens.
What would they do if the usual crossing was closed? Would they know not to follow friends across a road when it did not feel safe? If a bus terminated early, could they stop and work out what to do rather than panicking?
These are situations that are much easier to talk about before the first solo journey.
The Department for Transport’s THINK! Safe Adventures campaign encourages parents to practise the new school journey with their child rather than waiting until September. It also recommends modelling safe behaviour while making those journeys together.
Why practising matters
There is a good reason for the extra attention around this age.
THINK! reports that child pedestrian casualties double between the ages of 9 and 11, with incidents more likely around school drop-off and collection times.
The move towards greater independence can happen quickly at this age. A child who was collected from primary school in July may be expected to manage a much more complicated journey only a few weeks later.
Practising gives them time to notice things they may overlook when they are concentrating on simply remembering where to go.
Try walking the actual route at roughly the time they will use it. Let your child lead while you follow, rather than directing every decision.
You will quickly see which parts they already understand and where they still look to you for reassurance.
Friends can change the journey
One of the biggest differences between practising with a parent and travelling to school is that children are often with friends.
Conversation and excitement can make it easier to become distracted.
THINK!’s guidance highlights distraction, rushing and choosing unsafe crossing points as particular concerns for children beginning independent journeys.
Rather than turning this into a frightening conversation, talk through ordinary situations.
What if a friend crosses but your child cannot see clearly? What if they are running late? Where is the safest place to wait if something goes wrong?
Children are more likely to use a plan they have already thought about than invent one while they are under pressure.
Independence can be gradual
There is no single age when every child is ready.
One child may manage the whole journey confidently while another needs a few more weeks of practice. You might begin by walking behind them, meeting them at a point further along the route or letting them complete only the easiest section independently.
The aim is not to rush independence.
It is to give children enough experience that when the moment comes, the journey feels familiar rather than new.
