Child on school trip spent night alone on coach in London car park

The middle school teaches children aged nine to 13

A child spent a night locked in a coach in a hotel car park after falling asleep during a school trip to London.

The youngster, a pupil at Broadstone Middle School, Poole, was left on the coach on Thursday after a theatre show.

Castleman Academy Trust, which runs the school in Dorset, said the child was safe and well and remained on the trip.

It said it had informed the relevant authorities and was conducting a thorough investigation into how the "highly serious error" occurred.

The incident, reported by the Bournemouth Echo, happened in north London. The children returned home on Friday evening as planned.

The school, which teaches children aged nine to 13, said it had taken "every possible action to ensure this never happens again".

A statement from the trust said: "Last Thursday night, after the children attended a performance in central London, they travelled back to the hotel, based in the north of outer London.

"Most regrettably, a child who fell asleep on the journey home was left sleeping on the locked coach in the hotel car park.

"We would seek to reassure everyone that the child is safe and well and, after speaking with their parents, was keen to continue on the trip, which returned safely on Friday evening."

The academy said despite "robust" risk assessments, a "highly serious error occurred".

A spokesperson said: "We are now focussed on undertaking a systematic and thorough investigation of the incident. We are working with the parents and staff involved to determine how this happened."