Alt Bridge Special School said it has personally apologised to the family and is committed to learning from its mistake
A mum was left ‘absolutely fuming’ after a transport service left her vulnerable son on a bus on his own for more than two hours because they failed to notice he was still there.
Jen Woodward’s son was picked up by Supreme Executive Travel (SET) who are commissioned by Knowsley Council to provide home-to-school transport. Thomas, 12, is a student at Alt Bridge Special School in Huyton and has complex needs, including a diagnosis of autism, an unknown genetic syndrome, asthma, and kidney problems.
On April 24, Jen said a serious safeguarding breach occurred when a SET minibus driver dropped off everyone at school, but failed to notice Thomas was still on board. Furthermore, they drove the van back to the depot, got off and left Thomas still in his seat – apparently without realising he was there.
Eventually, after two hours on his own, someone at the depot noticed Thomas on board the van and raised the alarm.
Jen said: “My son Thomas is the most wonderful little boy, but he was left and locked up alone on his school minibus for over two hours. No drink. No windows open. No adult there to keep him safe, like he’s always been used to.
“The school has completed its own report and, to their credit, has taken some measures to make sure this won’t happen again. But transport forgot about him. Left him sat there, on his own, stuck in that van, while the driver just parked up and walked away.”
A spokesperson from SET said the company regret any distress caused and are committed to ensuring that such events do not happen again, adding: “Following the incident, a full internal investigation was carried out. As a result of this investigation, the employee responsible for the incident has been dismissed.”
A spokesperson for Alt Bridge School said it is committed to learning from the mistake, adding: “We want to start by saying how truly sorry we are for the incident that took place. We know how upsetting this must have been for the pupil and their family, and we have personally apologised to them.
“Following a full investigation into this incident on April 24 2025, we’ve identified that a combination of things went wrong.
“There was a breakdown in the usual handover process involving the transport provider, which contributed to the incident, and at the same time, a separate health and safety issue in the class affected our usual registration checks, which meant there was a delay in getting in touch with the parent.
“Our school’s usual high standards were not met to our satisfaction on this occasion. Since the incident, we have liaised with the local authority, who commission transport provision, regarding the handover process. As a result, lessons have been learned and additional preventive measures have been introduced by school.”
However, in relation to the provider responsible for the transport service, Jen said: “Our kids deserve to be safe. They deserve to be cared for properly — not forgotten, abandoned, brushed off, and then ignored like they don’t matter.
“I’m demanding answers, accountability and justice. I’ll fight this all the way to make sure this NEVER happens again.
“Like many parents of children with complex needs, I put all my trust into these people, to take care of my son, to get him safely to and from school. I want to know that he’s with people who are trained professionals.
“I just feel so let down by them. I just can’t stop crying at the thought of him sitting there on the mini bus, scared and alone I’m absolutely fuming and heartbroken.”
Knowsley Council have been made aware of the situation and initiated an immediate safeguarding investigation by its Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO). A council spokesperson added: “A number of issues were highlighted where processes were not followed and these have been picked up directly with the transport provider and the school.”
Jen said she has had no contact with SET despite trying to find out what happened on April 24. SET said it is hopeful of making contact with Jen in the future to provide reassurances and address any outstanding concerns.
