A SCHOOL trip from Taunton was stranded in West Africa after disruption caused by the volcanic eruption from Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland, 14 years ago.
Headmaster Chris Alcock, who was with the Queen’s College party in April, was forced to use the group’s dwindling cash supply for anti-malaria tablets.
Mr Alcock and three staff had accompanied 16 pupils on the visit to a sister school in The Gambia the week prior.
He said at the time: “Everyone is in good spirits but it’s very frustrating to be stuck in this gorgeous holiday area but be itching to get back and start a very busy term.
“It’s also worrying for the pupils who are almost all taking GCSEs or A-levels in the next month or so.”
Concerned parent, Lesley Worrall, from Galmington, Taunton, had spoken to her daughter, Hannah, 15, twice.
She said: “Hannah’s very cheerful at the moment, playing lots of volleyball and going for beach walks. I think I’m more concerned than she is.”
A school spokesman added: “They looked at flying to Barcelona and trying to come back from there by train but there was a worry the trains out of Spain and France are pretty full.
“They’re running short on money because credit cards don’t work well there.”
Back at Queen’s, many boarding house beds remained empty as overseas pupils were stuck in countries ranging from China to Dubai.
Several teachers also struggled to get back from holidays in southern Europe.
Deputy head Marcus Paul said: “We’re putting a programme in place to make sure that every pupil facing public exams gets plenty of online support from the school.”
Five teachers and ten students from Taunton’s The Castle School were stuck abroad.
Head teacher Kevin Freedman said: “Because we’re a large school with a large number of staff, we can still function normally.
“We’ll fund alternative transport arrangements and are looking at insurance claims – that’s less expensive than covering teachers in class.”
Wellington School re-opened with about 50 boarders, four teachers and four support staff absent.
A school spokesperson said: “Work is being sent out to students by email.”
Chris Lane, from Pitminster, managed to get back from a business trip in Saudi Arabia.
After his Air France flight was cancelled, he flew to Jordan where there were fewer restrictions, caught a plane to Rome and hired a car to drive back to London.
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