School bosses and parents have won their battle for buses to get children home.

Pupils at Downlands School in Hassocks had to be ferried home on the school's own minibus because transport bosses got their sums wrong.

Angry school bosses last week demanded action over the shortage of places on buses.

The problem arose because inaccurate pupil figures had been supplied by West Sussex Council to new contractors Connex.

The school got two buses instead of three, leaving some pupils stranded until the school stepped in.

This week, pupils are clambering aboard a third bus run by Connex coach operators after the county council approved the extra bus.

Rose Hetherton, deputy head at the school, said: "We now have our third bus and I must say that the bus company did excellently.

"They told us there was a third bus ready for us to use and that they were just waiting for approval from the council."

The buses serve youngsters from outlying areas such as Hurstpierpoint.