STAFF and pupils from Orleans Park School made a emotional return home on Wednesday morning, after being stranded in China for nearly a week as volcanic ash grounded flights into the UK.

The 40 children and four teachers were due to return from their half term trip last Thursday and were on one of the first flights to be cancelled.
Richmond Council helped to fund the prolonged stay, but it was no holiday for some of the older children, whose GCSE exams start next week.

Teachers held revision classes for them while the younger pupils passed the time with trips to Shanghai museums and an aquarium, before their ordeal ended when they finally able to travel home on a priority flight, landing at Heathrow at 4am.

Headteacher Jo Longhurst said: "When they boarded the flight they still had no idea where it would land when they took off; there was a chance the plane would land in Barcelona. When they arrived home, it was a very emotional time for everyone, especially the three pupils whose parents remain stranded in other parts of Europe! We are delighted to have them back safe and well and look forward to having them all back at school later this week.

"We held a meeting for the parents, to explain the situation, on Monday, and some of them were quite upset and anxious, especially the parents of the older children who have GCSE exams starting soon. But the staff have been brilliant - they've been holding revision sessions and organising day trips to keep their minds off it."

Another 13 of the Twickenham school's teachers were stranded elsewhere in the world. Six supply teachers have been drafted in, and each year group was been given one day off this week, to ensure as many classes could go ahead as possible.

Ms Longhurst said she was not sure when her staff would return to work. "We're all keeping in touch but they're all over the world ñ we have a history teacher in Japan, a head of year in India, another teacher in America and one in Australia ñ and two are trying to get coaches back from Spain."

But it is not just teachers taking an unexpected extended break - about 10 per cent of the school's pupils were absent this week too.

Elsewhere, Whitton School was 11 teachers down and schools across the borough reported similar absences.