Pupil films coach driver’s expletive-filled rant

A school has lodged a complaint against a coach company after footage emerged of a driver’s expletive-filled rant to schoolchildren.

Phone footage appears to show the driver swearing at the pupils from Ark Alexandra Academy in Hastings, East Sussex, while on a trip to the Science Museum in London.

The school said it was “concerned” to have received complaints from staff, students and parents.

Wise Coaches, based in Hailsham, said the pupils had been “disruptive”, but the driver no longer worked for the company as of the day after the incident.

In the video seen by the BBC, a man believed to be the coach driver is heard accusing children of not wearing a seatbelt and smoking on the bus.

Gill Lane, whose child was onboard the coach on 11 July, said there were seven teachers on the coach at the time of the incident, which happened halfway through a four-hour journey.

“The teachers' job is to keep our children safe and to manage them on the coach,” she said.

"And on this occasion, they failed our children.

“I don’t know if I can keep my children at the school because I don’t know if I can trust them to keep them safe.”

The school said staff on the trip had attempted to reason with the coach driver and asked him to moderate his language and behaviour.

A school spokesperson said it had been communicating with parents and students after the trip and had followed up with individuals where appropriate.

Ms Lane said her daughter was “visibly upset” upon returning from the trip.

“It was her first school trip due to the pandemic and I believe it will probably be her last as she doesn’t want to go again,” she said.

“It was disgusting and I was truly horrified somebody could be like that to children.”

Ark Alexandra Academy said it had lodged a formal complaint against Wise Coaches and that the coach company was investigating.

"We expect the highest standards of conduct from our third-party providers and from our students - both in and out of school," a spokesperson said.

"Where students do not meet these expectations, the school takes prompt and appropriate action in line with our behaviour policy."

The school is for students aged 11 to 18.

The spokesperson for the school added: "Our school recognises the importance of school trips and the cultural enrichment they bring our students."

The video appeared to be taken by a pupil at the back of the coach and the students appeared to be from one of the more senior years of the school.

The coach firm, which has been running for 77 years, said: “We deeply regret and in no way condone the conduct of our driver towards disruptive pupils on the coach journey.

“The driver ceased working for the company on 12 July.”