mrs TTs and I wrestling with this at the mo. 2 daughters.. 10yrs ( very sensible, quiet) 7yrs ( less quiet sensible)

mrs tts has to change her hours at work (every little helps..)

it ll cost 150 pcm for childcare for the three pickups and care till 5.30 ..

do we take it and cough up or do we let the eldest have a key and walk the 200yds ( including crossing an A road , that often has a crossing patrol) and have the youngest kept in childcare till one of us gets home circa 5.30

£150/month doesn’t seem too bad for piece of mind.

I think the standard answer is “depends on the child”, isn’t it?

It does sound like quite a while to be on her own though, is there a nieghbour she can check in with maybe? It’s a tough one!

I’d pay the money, not sure I’d be comfortable otherwise. Once in a while is OK but not every day.

Of course depends on a lot of things, only you can decide.

Depends on the child but it is something we did when ours was 10 year old (now 12). In a few months,they will be going to secondary school and possibly travelling to and from school alone. Ease them in gently now rather than the sudden shock.
We started by leaving our 10 year old for an hour when we went to the supermarket, then she brought herself home from school whilst one of us were in and then to an empty house (similar distance to you and one minor road).
We had basic ground rules where she would contact one of us as soon as she got in and then would get on with homework until we got home or watch TV if home work was done. She could get a snack if she wanted (fruit etc – no cooking!)
She wasn’t allowed to answer the front door or home phone and we would call her mobile if we needed to speak to her.
I’m really proud of her for how it’s worked out and think it’s helped her to become more confident and independent. This was fairly evident when she started secondary school compared to other kids that we saw.
Each to their own though. I think only you know what your child is capable of.

I was at secondary school seven months after my tenth birthday. School was 4 miles away. combination of walk/bus, bus/walk on return. I had a key