Boy, 12, had to make his own way home from trip
120526-649_SCHOOL_TRIP_SR_13/2/12 Harley Way (12) who was found walking home to Paulsgrove by his mother after he stormed off from a school trip in Havant after having an argument with another pupil from the Harbour School. Picture:Steve Reid (120526-649)
A MUM is furious after her son was left in the street when he refused to get on the bus during a school trip.
Harley Way, of Hillsley Road, Paulsgrove, went on a visit to AMF Bowling, in Havant, with Harbour School at Tipner.
The 12-year-old admitted getting into a fight with another pupil and refused to get onto the school bus for fear of a second clash.
He then told teachers he was going to walk home, and despite the efforts of the staff, could not be coaxed onto the bus.
Teachers phoned his mum who said she was on her way to pick him up.
But instead of waiting, the school’s staff then drove off in the bus.
Harley said: ‘I didn’t want to get on the bus because I knew I would end up fighting again, so I told them I was going to walk home. The teachers did try to make me get on the bus a few times, but I didn’t want to. Then they drove away and left me there which made me pretty angry, and I was scared. I wanted to go home, but didn’t know the way, so I just started walking towards the hill.’
Harley’s mum, Nicki, said she had to drive around the area looking for her son before she found him near the George Inn, on Portsdown Hill Road, Widley, around an hour and a half later.
Nicki, 32, said: ‘He was in tears when I found him. He was cold and really tired from all the walking.
‘What really upset me it is that no-one waited with him until I arrived – if I’d left him on his own like that I would’ve had social services on to me.’
School staff say they tried to persuade Harley to get on the bus for around 30 minutes.
The driver had followed Harley as he started to walk, stopping three times for him to get on, before eventually driving away.
Sally Garrett, headteacher of the school, said: ‘By walking away from a trip, a child is truanting. If a child does that then I wouldn’t expect my staff to force them back. We had phoned his mum and knew she was on her way, so we knew he was safe.
‘Apart from notifying a parent, my staff could not help him any further once he had made the decision to walk away from the activity.’
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Friday 25 May 2012
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