Are we wrapping our children in cotton wool? New study shows just 1 in 4 pupils go to school alone

• In Germany 75 per cent of children travel alone, according to report
• Fears of abduction and bullying are among reasons why parents will not let children walk to school
  

By Inderdeep Bains for the Daily Mail

Published: 20:46 EDT, 13 January 2013 | Updated: 20:48 EDT, 13 January 2013

The report suggested that fears of abduction, traffic accidents and bullying are among the factors that explain why parents do not let their children walk to school

Only a quarter of primary school children are allowed to travel to school alone, a study shows.

Examining how many pupils walk, cycle or take the bus to school unaccompanied, the report by the Policy Studies Institute revealed a dramatic fall from 86 per cent in 1971.

It also showed a startling contrast with Germany, where 75 per cent of children travel alone.

The report suggested that fears of abduction, traffic accidents and bullying are among the factors that explain the lack of autonomy for the pupils in England.

Mayer Hillman of the PSI urged parents to encourage their children to be more independent in order to help their development.

He said: ‘Wrapping our kids in cotton wool may seem like we are keeping them safe, but it makes growing up harder and less fun.’

In 1971, when the research by the Policy Studies Institute (PSI) at Westminster University was first carried out, 86 per cent of UK primary pupils travelled alone between home and school.

Now it is just 25 per cent, while in Germany, where children cycle, walk or take the bus to school alone years before British children, the figure is 75 per cent.

Research fellow Ben Watson, who co-authored the study, said: ‘Independent mobility has been shown to be good for children’s wellbeing and development, yet our research shows it has dropped significantly in the last four decades.

‘The experience from Germany shows that this drop is not an inevitable result of modern life.’ he added.

The PSI conducted studies on child mobility in 1971, 1990 and 2010 in primary and secondary schools in five different areas of England while colleagues in Germany did the same.

The researchers found that the lack of independence for youngsters seen in the UK was down to a number of factors including fear of abduction, traffic accidents and bulling by other children.

Cath Prisk, director of Play England, said: ‘This study confirms our own research that there are more barriers to playing out and travelling independently for children today than for previous generations.

Interestingly, the research shows that children in other countries, such as Germany, are able to enjoy this basic right far more than their English peers.

‘Parents who want to buck this worrying trend should think about giving their kids the gift of independence at home, on the doorstep, in their neighbourhood and further afield.’ 

The surveys of children and their parents were conducted in 10 schools (five primary and five secondary) in five areas of England: Islington, Nottingham, Stevenage, Winchester and rural Oxfordshire. In Germany, Kvln Innenstadt, Witten, Kvln Chorweiler, Wuppertal-Langerfeld and Bochum were the locations surveyed.

The children were asked whether they were allowed to cross main roads alone, uses buses and bicycles without an adult, come home from school alone, travel to other places on their own or with friends, and to go out after dark alone.