TWO senior bureaucrats have been stood down after ''telling the minister what they thought he wanted to hear'' before 700 students with disabilities were left stranded without transport to school last week.

The officers were stood down without pay from their positions yesterday pending disciplinary action under the Public Service Employment Management Act.

A report released Dr Ken Boston, above, names Hugo Harmstorf and Ian Anderson as responsible for the bungle. Credit:Andrew Taylor

The Premier, Barry O'Farrell, commissioned the former director general of education, Ken Boston, to conduct a review of what went wrong in the delivery of the Assisted School Travel Program, promising those to blame would be disciplined.

In his report, Dr Boston, who has also headed England's curriculum authority, criticised the deputy director-general, finance and infrastructure, Hugo Harmstorf, and the director of finance shared services, Ian Anderson, for failing to deliver the $80 million program to the most vulnerable children in NSW.