My DC missing for 4 hours after school.!!

[Highfivemum]

had no intention of putting this up for discussion but after call today I am livid and would like some opinions
so my DC summer born started high school beginning of the month. Just 11 so young in year. He catches the coach from our village and has done this since he started. All fine up until yesterday when he was not on the coach when I waited for it after school. Tried his phone and it was turned off. Frantic drive to school with other DC and he was no where to be found. School did not have a clue where he was. Caretaker and head teacher called back into school ( they had both left premises when I got there) they both insisted he got the coach etc as all year 7 were taken to the coach stop at rear of school and escorted on the coach. For info it is a small high school. And only runs 3 coaches to surrounding villages.
Cutting a long story short that seemed like days for me my DC was discovered to be on another coach and was in another village, sitting by the coach stop. We eventually were reunited over 4 hours later.
my DC was distraught. He said his teacher let them out of lessons late and took three Dc to the back of the school and put them all on the same coach. This was the only coach left at school as the others had left. He said no time to collect their phones from the office. This was the wrong coach. When the coach arrived at its final destination my DC who was to upset to say anything got of the coach ,And there he sat till the error was discovered and we collected him.
the school today have said my son was at fault and he should have spoke to the driver and not got off the coach.,,, yes I get that but they have not admitted any mistake with the staff at all.
I am livid. Am I being unreasonable. What would anyone else think/ do. My DH took our DC to school today as they didn’t want to go.

The point is that this teacher did choose to make herself responsible. If she hadn't told OP's son that this was the right bus he would presumably have followed his usual routine and discovered it wasn't.

What would have happened if the correct bus had left without him and he was left behind, standing outside the school, as against getting on the wrong bus? (Demand an answer, there must be a policy. Remember he was late because of the actions of a teacher, not his fault, if he is to be believed)

Are there public transport options, or is the bus the only way home?

As a former teacher who had to do "supervising the charter buses taking kids home" duty, I can tell you there was a senior teacher in overall supervisory charge. They dropped the ball, they know it, you know it, and the school governors need to know it.

Hopefully he would have had the common sense to walk back into the school, retrieve his phone from the office and call his mum.

Quick update.

deputy at school had meeting with DH today and two of the governors and the teacher. Very apologetic and advised him of various changes in school policy to ensure this doesn’t happen again. My DC has been getting the school coach for two weeks. Out of the two weeks he has used it a total of five occasions due to after school. No one from our village gets the coach so in answer to people saying he woudl know who was on it. He wouldn’t.
we are happy that the school has and is implementing good measures and took it serious.
My DC got the coach today and used it coming home. He seems to have forgotten the dramas of last week which is good.
i think the level of response on this post has divided a few as to my Dc. As a mum some of the comments were rather rude and insulting to me and my DC. Which when one would like support is rather unkind.
thank you to all the helpful and kind comments and mums netters who accept that all children are different and act in ways we cannot predict when under stressful circumstance.

Thanks for taking the time to
update. Sounds like school took seriously and hope your DS quickly puts it behind him and enjoys yr7.

I am really pleased the school are making changes - that is all you can ask really and is a sign they are listening. I hope your son soon forgets!

Thank you.

@antelopevalley If the teachers are not responsible for the children getting on the bus why did this one take the late children and put them all on the last and wrong bus especially without checking it was the right one ? Why did he fail to give the children their mobile phones? Could it be that he knew he was in the wrong and just wanted to get rid of the last children so he could go home? The teachers would have an obligation to ensure that the children finish school in sufficient time to catch their coach/bus as it is the only one running to take them home. And, before you say it, not all 11 year olds would question a teacher doing so nor would they speak up for themselves with the driver. Maybe he did and the driver didn't listen. We are missing part of the story here but, from the information provided, the teacher was in the wrong, pure and simple. I would add that, in Year 7, my children rode their bikes to the train station and took a train to school and they were allowed to keep their mobile phones as long as they were switched off otherwise they lost it to the teacher in class. But that was a bigger school with someone in the school office where they could ask for help. In this case it sounds like the staff went home asap.

The teacher escorted the children across the car park as part of their safeguarding after a child was knocked down.
I am sure they are not officially putting the children on the bus. If they were taking on that responsibility they would have registers for each bus.