Nasty vandals strike at school
A Sunderland headteacher has hit out after vandals destroyed projects that the pupils have been working on.
Natalie Fountain, headteacher at Hastings Hill Academy, has spoke of her anger of what she describes as “mindless vandalism” following a series of attacks on the school.
When she arrived at the school yesterday morning, she saw that yobs had smashed windows, ripped up plants, smeared mud across school property and even damaged wishing wells that the children have made.
She said it is the latest in a series of incidents and now “enough is enough”.
Mrs Fountain said yesterday: “Last year, especially over the summer months, groups of youths would climb onto the roof to pull off drain pipes and smash skylights.
“Now, we have been seeing a rise of similar incidents in the past few weeks.
“This morning I arrived at the school to find some windows smashed, plants ripped out and wishing wells that the children had made as projects smashed.
“It was so disheartening to see the children and their parents arrive at the school this morning to all the damage.”
Mrs Fountain has now called on the parents of the youths cuing the damage to be aware of what their children are doing.
She added: “Enough is enough and people need to start taking responsibility for whereabouts of their children and and their actions.
“It is costing the school a fortune, we already have a tight budget as it is and now the costs are continuing to amount.
“We have already spent around £7,000 that we can’t claim back.
“That money could be better used on extra things for the pupils such as sports coaches or educational visits. “We are now having to pay for an external security company to monitor the site on a night.”
Mrs Fountain also spoke about the effect that it is having on the staff, in particular caretaker Beverly Walton, who spends a lot of time ensuring the school is a welcoming environment.
She added: “Our caretaker Beverly has been at the school for many years and she helps the pupils with their DT projects like the wishing wells which were destroyed.
“Everyone is so grateful for her hard work and she has been so upset by all of this.
“The rest of the staff are worried about leaving their cars in the car park.
“It is already a worrying time without any extra pressure.
Northumbria Police have confirmed they are investigating the incident at the school.
A spokesman for the force said: “Earlier today (Thursday), we received a report of criminal damage overnight at Hastings Hill Academy, on Tilbury Road, Sunderland.
“It was reported that offenders had gained access to the premises and damaged a number of items.
“An investigation has been launched and anyone with information is asked to contact us via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of our website, quoting log 116 040620.”