Year six pupils on a school trip to the Boulogne region of France received a shock in July when they discovered “a pair of trainers sticking out” of a compartment near the engine of the coach they were traveling on. Part of the school trip involved a scavenger hunt including searching the school coach after returning from a visit to a chocolate factory. On discovery, one of the pupils touched the trainers prompting the man inside to flinch.
The pupils alerted their teachers who immediately informed the driver and the coach provider, Apt Coaches. The man was arrested on suspicion of attempting to illegally stowaway on the coach after Apt Coaches informed the French police.
Following the event, children were told the man was a mechanic rather than a suspected illegal immigrant and nothing more was said about the matter. However, two weeks ago parents of the pupils found out about the incident and demanded exact details of the incident. Parents have expressed shock at not being informed of the incident. The Head Teacher of Sacred Heart Primary School in Hertfordshire has apologised if parents felt mislead and has explained that:
"At the time, we made a decision not to inform them about what had happened, as no children were put at risk at any time and we did not want to unduly alarm them.
"Only a small number of children were present when the man was found and they only saw his feet.
"The compartment he was found in had no access to the inside of the coach itself, and once he was discovered this issue was dealt with very quickly by the visit provider company and the police.
"The incident was not mentioned during the rest of our trip. Since our return, parents have been informed of the details of what happened."
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