SCHOOL children excitedly waiting for X Factor stars New Dynamixx to give a performance at their assembly were disappointed when they failed to turn up.

Staff at Westrop Primary School thought the group had suffered a mechanical breakdown on Friday, but it appears a breakdown in communications could be to blame for the no show.

Head teacher Janet Urban said the school had responded to an email sent out to schools around the country offering a performance with a presentation about cyber bullying and staying safe on the internet. “I thought it would be lovely,” she said. “The children would get a lot from it and it was something different to us telling them about internet safety. I thought it was all really relevant for them.”

She booked through the Universal Talent Group.

When Friday morning arrived the staff waited expectantly for the group to pull in through the school gates. As the minutes ticked by it became clear something had happened. “Initially we thought they had broken down,” said Mrs Urban. A couple of hours later they still had not turned up and the staff. “By lunchtime we had to say to the children we hadn’t heard from them. The class teachers broke the bad news. “Obviously they were all quite disappointed.”

Mrs Urban said. “We had explained to them what a lovely thing it would be for the school. Then to have to tell them: ‘I’m sorry they have not arrived.’”

The school had emailed and telephoned the agency on the day. “I had no response from anybody at all. No message from them to say that they were delayed.” She said normally there were drumming sessions for some of the children on Friday mornings, but those had been cancelled for the event. A visit by the school’s sports coach had also been put off.

Talent agency spokesman James Pemberton told the Advertiser: “The situation is a contract was sent to the school along with an invoice and the contract was never actually returned.”

He said the booking had never been confirmed with the school. The contact had been chased up on two occasions but the agency assumed the school had undergone a change of heart. And because it had not been returned there was little the agency could do. He added that the group was appearing at 60 schools this month alone.

However Mrs Urban insisted this week an invoice had not been sent. “I did have a request for numbers which I returned to them.”

Before the show was due to take place she had confirmed timings with the agency and she took one of the comments in an email from them, that they were all systems go, as confirmation it was going ahead.