In skirts and trainers, 39 girls get stuck on mountain

John Allen, leader of the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team, said the pupils were wearing skirts and trainers and had donned bin bags to protect themselves from the elements.

The woman teacher had no map, no compass and had to borrow a pupil’s mobile phone to dial 999 when mist descended near the summit of Meall a’ Bhuachaille, north of Loch Morlich, in the Cairngorms National Park.

The party of girls aged 16 and 17, from the Beth Jacob Teachers’ Training Seminary in east London, according to police, raised the alarm after they became disorientated around 4.30pm yesterday.

Mr Allen said he was unable to talk them off the 2500ft hill, even though the mist lifted just over an hour later, as they did not know their position.

After problems with maintaining mobile phone signals, ten rescuers were sent on to the hill to locate the party.

Mr Allan said: "The kids were strung out for about one kilometre down the track in a long line.

"We were appalled to discover they were all wearing skirts and trainers. Some had bin liners and plastic sheets wrapped round them to act as waterproofs.

"They had no idea what they were doing or what they were expected to be doing. When we reached them the pupils were less than polite. They thought it was all a big joke."

Mr Allan, who has almost 25 years of mountain rescue experience, added: "They were completely out of their depth and did not seem to take on board the seriousness of the situation.

"It is one of the worst, if not the worst, cases that I have come across of a group being ill-prepared going on to the mountains. It is quite horrifying."

He said the trip could have had fatal consequences.

"Had the mist not lifted it could have been much more serious - and it would have taken a long time to get them off the mountain," he said. "We might not have found all of them as they were scattered around the hillside."

A ratio of one teacher to eight pupils is adequate in good conditions but Mr Allen described a ratio of one to 39 as "completely unmanageable". A small number of the party were suffering from extreme tiredness and taken by Land Rover to Glenmore Lodge, where they were later joined by the remaining members of the group who walked off the hill.

None required medical treatment and they were thought to be on their way back to London today.

Morris MacLeod, duty sergeant at Aviemore police station, also warned the outcome might not have been as favourable.

"What they did was rather irresponsible," he said. "The weather can change very quickly and if something goes wrong or if somebody becomes unwell it can cause problems.

"Their gear was poor and they weren’t equipped. They clearly weren’t prepared."

Rabbi Benyomin Dunner, head of the Beth Jacob Seminary for Girls, said the school had launched an investigation.

In a statement, he said: "On this occasion our normal procedures governing school trips were not in place. We apologise to parents and pupils and will be holding an immediate internal inquiry.

"We are grateful to the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team for their help. It was they who ensured that nothing serious occurred."

A spokesman for the school said no action had yet been taken against the teacher.