Severe flooding saw hundreds of pupils stranded overnight

The Hanley Castle High School students had been on three different trips to Staffordshire, Newquay and Wales.

Two coaches were stuck on the M5 overnight and others had to turn back to find emergency accommodation for the students.

All three trips arrived back at the school on Saturday morning.

Alastair Booth, the school's business manager said all the pupils were now back at the school - but some parents were themselves facing flooded roads and difficulty in getting to the school to pick up the children.

Most of the youngsters, aged between 11 and 14, had been expected back at the school by 1700 BST on Friday.

Mr Booth said: "The scale of this [weather] is enormous, having coaches stuck on motorways is a new experience as is having to use emergency accommodation - and all on the last day of term as well."

He said of the three coaches which had taken pupils to Drayton Manor one had got the students to Tewkesbury High School for overnight accommodation.

There are a number of children here whose parents are having difficulty getting to the school Alastair Booth, school business manager

The other two had been stuck on the M5 motorway overnight.

They got to Worcester on Saturday morning where parents living locally were able to pick up the children.

The two other trips - one to Newquay the other to Llanrug in North Wales - had eventually made there way to Ross-on-Wye.

Pupils on 10 minibuses who had been to Newquay found accommodation at the Royal Hotel while those coming back from Llanrug were put in an emergency centre opened by St John Ambulance.

Mr Booth added: "All three parties have got back to the school, having said that there are a number of children here whose parents are having difficulty getting to the school.

"As far as we're aware there are about a dozen children left here, most of the staff who worked overnight have departed, but there's a nucleus manning the phones and they will stay until the last child goes home."