MINEHEAD Middle School’s head teacher has heaped praise on the emergency services for their work after a 10-year-old boy was knocked down by a bus.


The schoolboy was riding his scooter when he was hit by the bus at 8.45am on Tuesday as he made his way to school.


Emergency services rushed to the scene, including the air ambulance, and the boy was taken to Musgrove Park Hospital with head injuries.


The Gazette understood the boy was due to be discharged from hospital on Wednesday but has since been taken to Bristol Children's Hospital.


Now, head teacher at Minehead Middle, Paul Rushforth, has praised the paramedics for their quick-thinking actions.


“The response from the emergency services was outstanding.
“The first responders were there in no time at all, and within 10 minutes the air ambulance had arrived.


“We set up a room for the children who witnessed the accident and where friends of the boy could go to take some time out,” Mr Rushforth said.


“We had parents visiting at the time who said how impressed they were with the way the school handled the incident, in a calm and orderly manner and I thought our staff and pupils managed a difficult situation brilliantly.


Following the incident, the school has now asked parents to stop children using their scooters to ride into school.


“We have asked parents not to allow their children to use their scooters to get to school, as it is self-evidently likely to lead to an accident,” Mr Rushforth said.


A South West Ambulance spokesman said: “We were called to a road traffic collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian at 8.40am on Tuesday morning.


“One male casualty is conscious and breathing, and the air ambulance is also in attendance.”


A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police confirmed the force was looking into the incident, and added: “We were called at 8.45am to reports of a collision involving boy and a bus on Townsend Road.


“A 10-year-old boy has been taken to Musgrove Park Hospital with head injuries and enquiries are ongoing.”