CHILDREN are being forced to wait behind at school every day because there are insufficient buses to take them home.

Eleven coaches are required to ferry 636 children four miles between Ingleby Barwick, near Stockton, and Conyers School, in Yarm, each day.

However, due to space restrictions at the school, only nine buses are used, meaning two coaches have to do double trips in the morning and evening.

Parents said it was the same children who were affected each time, and that it was adding an extra five hours to some pupils' school week.

Karen Wastell, of Penberry Gardens, Ingleby Barwick, said her 12 and 13-year-old daughters, Laura and Gabrielle, had to get the early bus in the morning, then had to wait for the late one at night.

She said: "They leave the house at 7.55am because they have been allocated one of the buses that does two runs, and they are on the first drop.

"They get to school early and have to hang around for a while, but then at night, they have to wait again because they are on the last bus home.

"They do not get home until 4.25pm. There are about 100 kids waiting and they vary in age between 11 and 16. It is wrong."

Parents and local councillors said Stockton Borough Council should rectify the problem and said it was a perfect example of why Ingleby Barwick, which is the biggest private housing estate in Europe with about 15,000 homes, and more being built, needed another secondary school.

Gary Powell said his 12-year-old son, Thomas, was left waiting for his bus every night.

He said; "All of the children are allocated bus passes for particular buses, so it is the same children every night that are left waiting outside the school.

"Can you imagine telling people they could not go straight home from work when they finished each night? It is not right. Children should be allowed to go straight home."

Ingleby Barwick councillor Ken Dixon suggested the buses' arrival at the school be staggered each evening, meaning the last buses were only five minutes late. He said: "We are going to have more and more kids going to Conyers' School from Ingleby Barwick.

"In a few years, there could be up to 12 and 14 coaches going to Yarm and Eaglescliffe schools. This needs to be sorted now."

A borough council spokeswoman said buses from other areas also had to collect children from Conyers, so buses could not be staggered.

She said: "A further two buses would contribute to congestion within Ingleby Barwick and at Conyers School.

"Double running of buses is not unusual across Tees Valley, where the journey time is relatively short. The double run is to the area closest to the school and running time to drop-off is approximately ten minutes each way.

"We can understand the concern that children are now asked to wait in school for a short time. However, they are in a safe environment."

Conyers School declined to comment