Child, 10, with special needs 'left alone on a bus at a council depot after driver forgot to drop him off at school'

• Child travelling on a council-run school bus in Wolverhampton
• Driver returned to bus depot without stopping at Tettenhall Wood School
• Child 'did not come to any harm' in incident, local cabinet member says
  
• Driver suspended and an investigation launched by local authority
  

By LIZZIE EDMONDS

Published: 08:19 EST, 18 January 2014 | Updated: 14:24 EST, 18 January 2014

A young child with special needs was allegedly left on a council-run bus and driven to the depot after the driver failed to drop him off at school.

The 10-year-old was travelling on a Wolverhampton City Council-run bus for pupils with learning difficulties.

However, for reasons which are now the subject of an investigation the youngster was never dropped off at their stop on Wednesday morning.

A 10-year-old child was left alone at the Wolverhampton bus depot, pictured, when the driver of the council-run bus failed to drop him off at school

Instead, the bus returned to the council depot in the town where the oversight was discovered, according to the local authority's transport boss.

City councillor Phil Page said the council had suspended a driver and a bus escort following the incident while an investigation is carried out.

Mr Page, council cabinet member for Schools, Skills and Learning, said the youngster had not come to any harm as a result of what had happened.

However, he was unable to say exactly how long the pupil was on the bus before being discovered, adding it was one of the key questions the investigation will be expected to answer.

'When the bus arrived at the depot, it was then that the child was discovered,' said Mr Page.

'As far as I am aware, the child was never left in the depot by themselves. He was not locked inside.

'That is my understanding, but the matter is being investigated and we need to get the bottom of what exactly happened.'

The pupil was travelling to Tettenhall Wood School, which caters for young people with severe or complex educational needs.

The child was a pupil at Tettenhall Wood School, pictured, which caters for young people with special needs

Mr Page said he had not been told what the child's special educational needs were.

I don't know what their position is, and the school deals with pupils with a range of issues,' he said.

'There may have been some communication issues with the youngster but that's speculation at the moment and one of the things which the investigation will be trying to find out.

'If a child goes to a particular school, then they will know which one they have to get off for, but if there are communication difficulties it may not have been that straightforward.

'An investigation has been launched and I will be asking for an update on its progress next week.'

He added: 'It may well be the policies we have in place are fine, or that we need to look at them again. Our priority is always the safety and well-being of the children.'

The child's parents will be kept informed of the investigation's progress, Mr Page said.

'We pick up lots of children each morning to get them to school and as far as I am aware this is the first time this has ever happened,' he added