ROWDY pupils are to be made to sign good behaviour contracts if they want to travel on school buses after county council bosses revealed 578 complaints were made about youngsters last year.

Complaints filed against pupils included 11 assaults on drivers, 11 fires started on buses, 53 cases of throwing missiles and 25 fights in the last school year alone.

Now, education and transport chiefs at Lancashire County Council are to roll out a pilot scheme run at Fearns High School, Stacksteads, last year, which resulted in a 75 per cent cut in trouble.

As well as being ordered to sign contracts promising good behaviour on buses, troublemakers will also be offered counselling to find out why they misbehave on school buses as teachers, education bosses and the police team up to try and make travelling to school safer.

The authority believes the strategy is a national first which will be copied by other authorities.

Blackburn with Darwen Council is working with communities and schools in its problem areas to combat school bus issues.

The main firm which provides transport in the area, Blackburn Transport, has fitted CCTV cameras to all buses which work on school routes.

Nearly £14,000-worth of damage was done to school buses by pupils in the county last year, with 53 drivers verbally abused, four thefts and 116 reports of buses being damaged.

Three-quarters of the incidents took place on journeys home from school.

Fearns High was picked because it has good working relationships with bus companies.

Other initiatives trialled there which will now be rolled out include:

A new system of recording incidents of misbehaviour;

Training for bus drivers so they could diffuse potential arguments among pupils as well as better customer service;

Classes for youngsters about the role of school transport;

Extra CCTV on school buses;

A Lancashire Constabulary Crimestoppers campaign on buses using posters designed by youngsters.

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: "The strategy has delivered benefits in several ways. Rossendale Transport, who we used for the pilot, report a significant reduction in anti-social behaviour incidents since September 2001.

"Fearns High School reports a reduction from 20 incidents to five compared with the same period a year ago.

Coun Nora Ward, in charge of highways and transportation at Lancashire County Council, said: "It is important we promote safe and reliable public transport for youngsters while they are at school so they continue using public transport when they leave school."