- Two primary school children left alone on a bus
- Their school was visiting Perth Zoo
Two young schoolchildren were forgotten on a bus during a school excursion to Perth Zoo.
The two boys, both about six years old, were left behind as their classmates and teachers from Hensman Street Elementary got off at bus stop number 34 near Perth Zoo last Friday.
The children were among eight students who made the short bus trip from the school to the zoo under the supervision of three teachers and a volunteer parent.
Hensman Street Elementary is a small independent school that exclusively serves children from kindergarten through third grade, many with special needs.
The school charges a maximum of $9,900 per year per student.
Two young schoolboys from Hensman Street Elementary (pictured) were left on a bus during a school excursion to Perth Zoo
When the teachers realized that the students had been left alone on the bus, a hasty call was made to the bus company Transperth, which sent staff members to the bus.
When asked how the incident unfolded, Hensman Street Elementary principal Tanya Steers said staff responded “immediately.”
“The children were returned safely and the families of the children involved are involved in a positive outcome,” she told the newspaper Western Australian.
‘Out of respect for the children and families, the school will not provide any further information for reasons of privacy.’
Ms Steers said the school had reported the incident to the Ministry of Education, in accordance with registration standards for non-government schools.
The boys were among eight students who made the short bus trip from school to the zoo on Friday under the supervision of three teachers and a volunteer parent (pictured).
It is understood that none of the parents of the other six children on the trip were informed of the incident.
Public Transport Authority spokesman David Hynes said it was informed on Friday morning that two children who were part of a traveling school group on an excursion had “inadvertently remained on board” a Route 34 bus that had just left Perth Zoo.
“PTA and Transperth staff quickly contacted drivers from all operational Route 34 services to identify the bus in question, which entered Perth Busport,” he said.
‘Busport staff collected the bus when it arrived at 9.30am and kept the children with them until the teacher came to collect them at 9.44am.
“Less than 30 minutes passed from the time of the first phone call until the children were picked up by their teacher, a successful and timely response from all PTA and Transperth staff involved.”