Vandals wreak havoc at Wigan school

A clean-up operation is  under way after vandals broke into the grounds of a school and threw around  children's equipment.
Lamberhead Primary SchoolLamberhead Primary School
Lamberhead Primary School

Staff were shocked to discover the damage at Orrell Lamberhead Green Primary School on Monday morning.

They are now working to repair the damage before the start of the new academic year in less than two weeks.

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It is believed that teenagers got over fencing at the Kershaw Street site and broke into six sheds used to store equipment for the pupils.

Assistant headteacher Katherine Gaskell said: “They have sprised open the sheds and thrown the resources over the playground. Some have been damaged and broken.

“The children have been growing sunflowers and they stamped on the sunflowers. It was a mess.

“They have thrown some of the equipment over the fence into a path that runs

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between us and the Dean Trust. We have tyres that demarcate the area and they have thrown them.”

The sheds were in an area used by pupils in the foundation stage and contained equipment grouped together in topics, for example a water shed contained buckets and watering cans.

It it thought the group got into the school grounds on Sunday afternoon.

Mrs Gaskell said: “It’s very disappointing and upsetting. The children are going to be back in school soon and we want our new reception children to come and have the high-quality provision they would have on any given day.”

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Work is now under way to clear up the mess, but some equipment may need to be

replaced due to the damage.

Mrs Gaskell said: “At the moment we have taken everything off the playground because we don’t want them to come back and we are waiting for the sheds to be fixed so the resources can be stored safely again. Then we can put everything back in the sheds.”

News of the damage was reported on the school’s Facebook page and led to many parents expressing their disappointment and offering to help with the clean-up

operation.

Mrs Gaskell said: “We have had some offers from parents to help, which has been very kind of them.”

Anyone with information about the incident can call the school on 01942 768760.

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