§ Mr. EdwardsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment has been made of evacuation procedures on buses taking pupils to and from school. [118034]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeNone. School transport safety over and above the legal minimum is a matter for individual LEAs, consequently no national assessment has been made. All buses and coaches must have clearly signed Emergency Exits. While children are, occasionally, required to evacuate home to school transport quickly, I am not aware of any problems that have arisen during that process. Nevertheless, schools and local education authorities should consider the benefits of carrying out regular evacuation drills in collaboration with bus operators, so that pupils know what to do in an emergency.