M53 bus crash: Teachers on buses as pupils return to school

Children who were travelling on a school coach that crashed on the motorway and killed a pupil are being offered support, including teachers being with them on buses.

Jessica Baker, 15, and driver Stephen Shrimpton, 40, died when the coach hit a reservation on the M53 in Wirral.

Stephen Gray, head teacher of Calday Grange Grammar School, said there would be "angst about travelling to school".

For all pupils, "we envision it being a difficult day", he added.

The coach had been carrying more than 50 students from Cheshire to West Kirby Grammar School and Calday Grange Grammar School.

It had been in a convoy of buses carrying other students, who saw the incident.

The crash happened at about 08:00 BST on Friday near junction 5 at Hooton.

Four passengers were taken to hospital for treatment, including a 14-year-old boy with life-changing injuries. They remain in a stable condition.

Some 13 others suffered minor injuries.

Mr Gray told BBC Breakfast there would be specialist mental health support from the NHS and police on site at the schools all week to help pupils come to terms with what has happened.

He said he felt it was "important" that staff travelled on the coaches to support pupils as they returned to lessons.

"We envision it being a difficult day," he said, adding there were a number of measures in place to support pupils.

"We have staff travelling on the buses. There will be obviously angst about travelling to school."

Mr Gray said it was "everybody pulling together" to help the children.

"Under the circumstances I think pupils are coping really well. It never ceases to amaze me the human spirit," he said.

He said when he was at the clearing centre in Wallasey where casualties were taken on Friday after the crash there was a "real sense of togetherness", adding: "People stuck together to work through it."

Mr Gray said he had been "overwhelmed" by the help from the community such as local schools offering mini buses and staff cover.

"It's heart warming," he said. "I know the families as well appreciate the support."

In a tribute, Jessica's family said she was "warm-hearted and wonderful" and described her as a "devoted sister and loyal friend".

The student's family said she was a keen rock-climber and "her untimely death has led to a massive void in our lives that will never be filled".

Labour MP Margaret Greenwood, whose Wirral West constituency includes both schools, told BBC Breakfast "this will be profoundly traumatic for those children" who saw what happened.

"The schools are working incredibly hard to support them. It's going to be a very, very difficult time for everybody for quite some time to come."

Mr Shrimpton's family described him as a "loving husband and father".

They also said he was a "caring and thoughtful man who would always prioritise others over himself".

In a fundraiser for Mr Shrimpton's funeral, his family said the father-of-two had suffered a medical issue while driving.

Police said post-mortem examinations were due to be conducted to establish the cause of both deaths.

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, X and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [email protected]