A MOTHER has criticised safety at a primary school after her ten-year-old son was sent home by his head teacher and forced to walk three miles alone in the dark.

Ross Banks arrived home terrified and "in floods of tears" after walking through woods, down unlit lanes and across several busy roads.

Now his mum Debbie is demanding an apology from Geraldine Smith, head teacher of St Joseph RC School in Davey Drive, Brighton, who admits there was a misunderstanding.

The incident occurred after school, when Ross plays a weekly football match after which he is always walked home by one of the parents.

On this occasion Ross was asked to wait by the school gates for someone to take him home.

However, when Miss Smith saw the ten-year-old pupil there she told him to go home.

Mrs Banks, 36, of Ringmer Close, Moulse-coomb, said: "There was a knock at the door and my little boy fell into my arms sobbing. He was shaking and his heart was pounding. He said he had never been so scared.

Disgusted

"The head had told him to go home and he was so scared he didn't know what to do. He did not have any money to phone home so he ran all the way."

Mrs Banks phoned the school the following day for an explanation, but was told Mrs Smith was away until Monday.

The mother-of-five added: "I've never been so disgusted in all my life. The head teacher knows my son doesn't live locally and has to come home with an adult.

"Even if he had been really naughty he shouldn't have been sent home like that. They should have phoned me and asked me to pick him up.

"I never let him walk home alone. Even I wouldn't walk that route after dark."

Mrs Smith said Ross was upset about something which occurred during the match and had wanted to go home straight away. She denied ordering him home but admitted telling him he was free to go, not realising he was supposed to wait for an adult.

She said: "Security and safety is our number one priority and I did not let him go until the match had finished.

"As soon as the other children came back I said he could go but he neglected to tell me his mother had arranged for another parent to take him home.

"I can understand Mrs Banks being upset and in retrospect I would do all sorts of things differently. I would ask him in future how he was getting home, but up until now there's been no problem.

"Pupils make their own arrangements with their parents and stick to them. There was nothing stopping Ross waiting for someone to take him home."

She said the school was now considering keeping a list of every pupil who plays football after school with details of how they get home when the match has finished.

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