Sixth Formers arrive at the coach park to find the coach has already left without them
A Trip That Almost Didn’t Happen
A group of Sixth Formers travelling to a university open day were left standing in Eton’s coach park on Wednesday morning after the minibus booked to take them arrived early, waited the scheduled ten minutes, and departed without them, having apparently been given an outdated pickup time by the school’s transport office. The group, all of whom had specifically requested time off lessons for the visit, arrived at the coach park precisely on the time originally circulated to pupils, only to find no vehicle waiting.
A Scramble to Catch Up
With the open day’s welcome talk due to begin within the hour, staff scrambled to arrange an alternative, eventually securing a taxi large enough to carry the entire group at what one master later described as “genuinely eye-watering expense, though not remotely as expensive as six missed university visits.” The taxi driver, informed of the situation, reportedly took the challenge in good spirits, managing to deliver the group to the university campus with, by the group’s own account, “about four minutes to spare before the doors closed.”
Where the Confusion Started
The transport office has since traced the mix-up to an outdated version of the day’s schedule that had not been updated after a late change to the pickup time, a gap staff say has already prompted a review of how schedule updates are circulated internally. The Sixth Form tutor accompanying the group praised the boys for staying calm under pressure, noting that “not one of them panicked, which I found genuinely impressive given how close we came to an entirely wasted morning.”
The Open Day Itself, Salvaged
Despite the rocky start, all six boys made it to their scheduled subject talks and campus tours, with several reporting that the frantic taxi dash had, if anything, made for a memorable start to the day. Exams & University understands the transport office has now introduced a same-day confirmation text for all future trips, a small change staff hope will prevent any repeat of Wednesday’s near miss.
A Story for Personal Statements Everywhere
At least one boy on the trip has reportedly considered mentioning the ordeal in his university application as an example of composure under pressure, an idea his tutor has neither explicitly encouraged nor entirely discouraged. The transport office, meanwhile, has confirmed it will now keep a printed backup of every trip schedule in the staff room, a small but deliberate step back toward paper in an otherwise increasingly digital system.
More from this section at Exams & University and coverage of the wider school world at The London Prat.
For further reading in a similar spirit, see The Onion and Private Eye.
SOURCE: https://prat.uk
