Vandals cause ‘significant damage’ to Northampton primary school over Easter break

The headteacher of a primary school in Northampton has spoken of how “incredibly upsetting” the damage caused by vandals over the Easter break has been to the school.

Vandals set fire to a bike outside Delapre Primary School, in Rothersthorpe Road, smashed windows, broke 200 roof tiles and urinated through a letterbox onto the carpet below.

Headteacher Harry Portrey said: “Like many schools, we take huge pride in the presentation of our school. Walking up to the front door and stepping into a welcoming environment is so important and reflects upon what the school is.

“The present approach to the school door is incredibly upsetting for all to see and left many young children concerned.”

The group were also seen running on the roof and chucking tiles. The headteacher said he was “grateful that no one was hurt during these mindless acts”.

Mr Portrey added: “Our school is a place of learning and growth for our children, and such acts of vandalism not only disrupt the educational environment but also have long-term consequences on the morale of the school and local community.

“Our children deserve a safe and conducive environment for learning, and these acts of vandalism are a direct hindrance to that.”

The headteacher said that recently the school has been a victim of vandalism.

He said: "Our school is a place of learning and growth for our children, and such acts of vandalism not only disrupt the educational environment but also have long-term consequences on the morale of the school and local community. Our children deserve a safe and conducive environment for learning, and these acts of vandalism are a direct hindrance to that.

“Over the past few weeks, our school has been targeted by vandals who have caused significant damage to the school property.

“In a time where many schools are trying to protect their ever-decreasing budgets, this unwelcome damage not only resulted in monetary losses for our school, but it has also created a sense of insecurity and fear among the children, parents, and staff.”

The school has called on members of the public to report any incidents to the police.

Mr Portrey said: “We would ask that our local community do take a stand against such destructive behaviour and report any incidents to the police in the future.

“It may be that the school is not the only place that will be targeted and sadly, cars, shops and local houses may be next. We must work collectively to protect and preserve our community.”

“We must work together to ensure that our school and community are safe and secure for our children and future generations.”

An incident that occurred between 2pm and 5pm on Friday April 7 was reported to Northamptonshire Police.

A spokeswoman for the force said: “In this incident stones were thrown at the front door causing two panes of glass to break.

Witnesses or anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Northamptonshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 23000218881.