Pupils late for exam due to 'horrendous' roadworks

David Veal said students were stuck on a school bus thinking their exam had started without them

Students were left upset after fearing they would miss a GCSE exam when they were caught up in gridlock traffic caused by roadworks.

David Veal, head teacher of Hounsdown School in Totton, Hampshire, said students experienced "profound" traffic problems as a result of Southern Water's works to fix a leak on the A35 Redbridge flyover into Southampton.

Drivers faced queues of up to two hours as a result of the eastbound carriageway closure, which started on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for Southern Water apologised for the disruption and said limiting disruption was "challenging" on "arterial routes like this one".

"We will take away all learnings from this week to explore how we may be able to improve and adapt our approach to similar challenges in the future," they added.

Motorists found it slow going getting into the city from the east

The closure of one of the main routes into the city caused traffic described as "horrendous" by one driver, with some reporting that it took them an hour to move less than one mile (1.6km)

Mr Veal said he had to delay the start of an English literature GCSE by 40 minutes on Tuesday because school buses were caught up in the delays - but the students onboard did not know that.

"There were students stuck on a school bus... in traffic with these delays, thinking that their GCSE English literature exam had started without them," he said.

He said staff and invigilators were also late a result of the congestion, and questioned why the work did not take place next week - during half term.

Eamonn Keogh, Southampton City Council's cabinet member for transport, said the council had to grant Southern Water the permit because it was for emergency works.

He added that the available space on the bridge, the proximity of slip roads, the bend in the road and the blind summit meant the Southern Water was unable to open a lane on the flyover.

'Not a good start'

Mr Veal said the students "coped admirably under the circumstances" and praised his staff for supporting them as best they could.

"But its not a great start for them at such an important time in their lives," he said.

"They've put an enormous amount of work and preparation into this and so they found that extremely difficult."

He said he "sincerely" hoped it did not affect results.

"But it is possible," he said.

"The state of mind of young people before they start their exam is a factor."

He said the school would apply for a concession through the exam board.