coach driver had to swear at and threaten school children to make them put seat belts on

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AIBU to think these kids need a little bit more of this plain speaking in their lives! If I had been that driver, I would simply have refused to drive them home, and just left them there. Poor guy had no choice but to make them behave, or not drive them as they were unsafe.

I imagine it has done them the world of good to hear what people actually think of them. I can't think why the school is complaining, rather than thanking him

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ced3z8kx9eqo

I’m happy to be proved wrong that all these kids are from self supporting households with a parent in a professional job. I doubt if though.

You seem just as happy to make yourself look like an ignorant, uneducated Mumsnetter, to be honest.

This!

As I said I’m happy for you to prove me wrong and show that these kids are all from professional working families. You can take your own comment and stick it on yourself.

He doesn't work for the bus company anymore, he's probably glad about that. He did go too far and it was unprofessional but the 7 teachers failed to keep the students under control and everyone safe, what's happened to them, and it would be interesting to see a video of the students behaviour too.

The driver sounds at the end of his rope. He shouldn't have threatened to punch them or swore but he's got to drive back on time and he wants to get home at a reasonable time.

When we went on school trips there was always one teacher who would lay out expectations and go mad if we didn't comply. Once he threatened to leave one child behind. The teachers here didn't do that.

The unseatbelted children could have been in a crash, died and he would be blamed. I would rather my 2 hear this and arrive home in one piece.

I imagine he was sick to the back teeth of the disrespectful little shits he has to deal with on a daily basis.

I must say that in all the schools I’ve taught in and on all the trips I’ve been on, I could never see seven teachers not getting involved if there was bad behaviour on the bus or if a driver had to get out of his seat and sort out the trouble. Even if there was only one teacher they should be wading in and ime they absolutely have to be very strict in that kind of environment.

I can’t imagine why they did not sort out the pupils themselves. They could have dotted themselves around the bus and even sat amongst the smokers to stop them or split up the group so some were sitting at the front. I have done that kind of thing many a time.

He shouldn't have threatened them as that's obviously not appropriate.

But as everyone else has said, where were the teachers and what were they doing? And if seven teachers couldn't control that sort of behaviour on a bus, what on earth is it like in the classrooms of that school?!

No, not at. Of course there "should" be parental responsibility, but abandoning these kids as a bad lot/lost cause because their parents can't or won't raise them properly doesn't help anyone, just perpetuates the cycle. And in the absence of "something" to make parents get it right every time, we do our best by the children, who are usually living in very difficult circumstances.

What adult these days would want to place their personal and professional life at risk of accusations by sitting at close quarters to pupils such as this, particularly amongst a group of them?! What 5 of them making an allegation?

@WillimNot
. Yes deal with the trouble makers in a mature way and speak to the school to make them aware.
and what is this magic mature way that would make a bus full of horrors behave?

It is inappropriate and obviously he can’t drive kids around anymore.

That said, he was telling the truth. Kids smoking, making mess, not wearing seatbelts, misbehaving generally…these days they just get away with it all. Teachers have no real power to do anything and parents generally side with their badly behaved child.

the guy will probably be happier without that job - it must be awful to have to deal with kids who refuse to follow basic rules.

"Look you loveable little scamps, I know it's everyone's else's fault that this has happened
You poor sausages having to act out like this must be so awful for you! Now who's for a Maccy D and some bowling to make you feel better?!"🤔

This is where it all went wrong, long before the day of the trip. If the school was well run, behaviour managed in school and the trip properly risk assessed, this situation would never arise. Just like if you set proper boundaries at home, you don't actually have to discipline very often.

You are being absolutely ridiculous and it's worrying that you appear unable to see it.

Stop reading the Daily Mail and think about what you're actually saying for a few moments.

Should have pulled over and had school call the parents to come out and get them. Don't drive? Too bad, start walking.

Soon bring them back into line if they were the ones being inconvenienced.

No one is saying abandon these kids, but it's sure as shit not the school's (nor any school) job to sort it out. Schools are not the social care of last resort. They're there to teach.

I'm fed up of schools being expected to sort out all of society's ills at the expense of most children's education.

You think adults don't ever sit with children?

I have my lunch with the kids everyday, best part of it, when you get to chat and build the relationships that help you manage behaviour when out on trips.

I agree there's loads we need to put in place to build a more supportive society, but we don't start by writing off the kids without putting the other suff in place first.

Oh gosh, the quick jump of 'you read the Daily Mail' to point score as an insult.
Am stung.

The teachers were a disgrace. They let things get out of hand. If they couldn't handle the situation they should have told the driver to return to the school or the nearest police station.
Mind you, I suppose the children were in fact being culturally enriched!

Swearing at kids is a last resort.

Since they were children he was totally unable to leave them behind and they simply had to be made to put their seatbelts on. I believe that he was legally responsible as they were minors.

He used strong language. Not violence.

Absolutely, that's the time you get to know them, not when stood at the front of the classroom.

Oh dear.
No mention or apology from the parents for the teenagers' inappropriate behaviour. That's ok because it's just teenagers innit.
I know I'd like to curfew parents and their offspring if they cannot socialise correctly. It's the same on the flights.
Life ban and curfew.
I'm sick to the back teeth of sharing my world with ill-mannered humans.