The student from Lake Windermere B-7 School in Salisbury Downs had fallen asleep on a bus service operated for Happy Haven OSHC on Friday afternoon.

When the bus arrived at Riversdale OSHC, the sleeping child did not disembark with the other nine children and three educators.

The bus was subsequently taken to the company’s depot, where it was locked.

The boy was discovered about 90 minutes later at 4.50pm and was collected by a staff member.

“It wasn’t until the parent arrived for the session that they came to uncover that the child was not present with the rest of the group,” Happy Haven OSHC chief executive Nicholas Smith said.

“He was asleep and a thorough check of the bus wasn’t conducted before the group got off.”

The student and family involved are receiving ongoing support, according to the care provider.

Happy Haven OSHC said early findings of an ongoing internal investigation indicated that standard head-count procedures were not followed during the out-of-school trip.

“Preliminary findings indicate that established procedures – including headcounts, sign-in/out protocols, and visual bus checks – were not followed,” Happy Haven OSHC said in a statement.

“We are working to understand not only what failed, but why, and what changes are needed to prevent a recurrence.”

Senior leaders and safety personnel have since been deployed to oversee Happy Haven transportation runs and additional safety checks have been implemented, it said.

“These measures will remain in place while the investigation is ongoing.”

Smith said the Happy Haven team were “really devastated that something like this has occurred”.

“For over six years, Happy Haven OSHC has safely transported between 20 to 70 children twice daily at this service without incident,” the service said.

“While this appears to be an isolated event, we are treating it with the utmost seriousness.

“This incident is deeply concerning and does not reflect the high standards we uphold.

“The safety and wellbeing of every child in our care is, and always will be, our highest priority.

“We sincerely apologise to the child and their family for this distressing experience, and we are committed to learning from this incident and strengthening our practices.”

The Education Department has been notified.