Mary Queen of Peace Primary pupils left without transport

The Education Authority says special school transport changes were due to the issue of new contracts

The Education Authority (EA) has apologised after more than 100 pupils at a County Antrim primary were left without school transport for two days.

About half of the children at the Mary Queen of Peace Primary rely on EA-run buses to bring them to school.

The rural primary has 229 pupils and operates on two sites, about three miles apart.

On Tuesday, EA informed the school that there would be no bus service to bring pupils to school on Thursday or Friday.

The local Alliance MLA, Patricia O'Lynn, has criticised the authority for what she called "a shocking lack of preparation" to provide a service due to the regular school bus driver being off sick.

Mary Queen of Peace was created following an amalgamation of the former St Mary's Primary and Glenravel Primary.

Some pupils attend the school in Martinstown and some in Cargan.

Suzy McKeown said parents received a text message on Wednesday afternoon telling them to make their own travel arrangements for Thursday and Friday.

The message said the regular driver was off for the foreseeable future and there would be no replacement.

"We live in a rural area so for some people it's a lifeline to get their kids to school because some people don't drive," she told BBC News NI.

"If a nurse is off sick they [the NHS] can call in agency staff or if the bin men in the council are off sick, they can call in agency staff.

"What makes the Education Authority any different?"

Suzy McKeown said parents received a text message on Wednesday afternoon

The last-minute notice meant that parents were not given much time to sort out other travel arrangements.

"For those that don't drive it means getting a taxi or relying on somebody else," Ms McKeown said.

She added that parents should not be under pressure to get their children to school.

"It's not safe; there's no footpath; there's no bus. So I think for child safety that it needs to be sorted," she said.

"We're not asking for anything that we're not entitled to. The kids need an education."

Many Mary Queen of Peace's pupils live in rural areas too far away to walk, so rely on a bus service from the EA to get them to and from school

The original Department of Education (DE) proposal to amalgamate the schools in 2014 said that they "could operate on a split site basis for a period of one year in advance of the new build completion date".

But a number of years on, the school is still operating on two separate sites.

'Shocking lack of preparation'

Patricia O'Lynn said parents at the school deserved answers.

"I've been contacted by over 40 parents, all concerned about the lack of transport provision for the school for a number of days now," he said.

"Due to a shocking lack of preparation by the EA, they will now have to find some other way to get their children to school, or else they will miss out.

"In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, some parents will now potentially have to take time off work to provide childcare themselves at short notice.

"It's difficult to believe the EA had no back-up plan or additional support in place and I have contacted them to ask about this matter."

Dr O'Lynn also said that there was an urgent need for a new building for the school, and a better bus service for pupils.

• 'Significant issues' for east Belfast school buses

• Pupils hit by free bus travel halt at Belfast school

When contacted by BBC News NI, a spokesperson for the EA apologised for the frustration caused by the disruption to the bus service to the school.

"We appreciate the inconvenience caused to parents and can confirm that transport will recommence on Monday 3 October," they said.

"We have a range of contingency plans in place to ensure services remain operational, including calling upon emergency relief drivers, private hire contracts, agency staff and a flexible recruitment programme.

"Whilst every effort is made to reduce disruption to any impacted routes, this is not always possible due to individual circumstances combined with the industry shortage of drivers."

The EA said that parents with any queries could contact their helpline on 028 95 98 59 59 from Monday - Friday between 09:30 and 12:30 BST and 13:30 - 16:30.