A HIGH school is cracking down on bad behaviour on its buses after drivers were forced to turn around when children started messing with emergency exits.

Two drivers transporting Rhyddings children from the school’s temporary base at Hameldon College, Burnley, had to double back after they had set off towards Oswaldtwistle to drop off pupils.

The buses arrived back at Hameldon where the drivers are said to have kept the children, between the ages of 11-13, on board due to their bad behaviour.

Andrew Williams, headteacher at Rhyddings, said: “Due to unacceptable behaviour on two buses, a decision was taken to return them to the school before pupils alighted in Oswaldtwistle.

“Both buses had escorts on board at the time.

“Senior staff from school travelled as chaperones with most of the students on the journeys back to Oswaldtwistle to ensure they arrived safely, while some parents chose to pick up their children from the school.

“We have robust procedures in place to deal with any discipline issues such as this and will be investigating what happened thoroughly.”

One parent said her son had arrived home late on Wednesday. She said: “My boy was on that bus and he was home for 5.10pm.

“He said kids on the top deck where messing around with emergency exit doors and banging on the floor, so the driver locked them on the bus, parked up for bit and then drove them back to Burnley.

“He said the driver wouldn’t let them off the bus.”

The school is understood to have then texted the parents of children stuck on the bus, telling them there was an issue and to expect them to be late home.

But despite the fact some parents deemed the incident inappropriate, some were quick to defend the driver saying it would have been ‘impossible’ for the children to be transported safely with so much bad behaviour onboard.

One Facebook user said: “It is not fair on the driver having to deal with naughty kids.”

Another said: “Everyone is so quick to judge the drivers, basically if the children behaved, then none of this would be happening, they need to have respect for their elders and for each other.”

Another concerned mother added: “I do agree with what the bus driver did, enough is enough, my daughter is on that bus and is a good kid she tells me it’s awful every day, someone could get killed on that bus, opening the windows and doors."

Students from Rhyddings have been using the former Hameldon building since earlier this year after work to demolish and rebuild two unsafe blocks has been prolonged.