Head teacher 'saddened' after vandals target school

Electronics were smashed and furniture was ruined during the break-in

A school had its classrooms and staff room trashed, and a window and TV smashed, in an act of vandalism at the start of the summer holidays.

Grange Primary Academy staff arriving at the school, in Tuffley, Gloucester, on Monday morning said jam, coffee, cream and milk - which had then soured - had been thrown around their staffroom.

Shards of glass from smashed jam jars and crockery embedded themselves in furniture, with the bathrooms vandalised, too.

Head teacher Beth Williams said the school community was "really saddened" by the damage after the term finished "on a high".

A window overlooking the school playing fields was also smashed

Ms Williams said: "In addition to the broken window, the television we use for our staff meetings was damaged."

Teachers have got to work trying to repair the destruction, spending the start of the summer holidays painting the walls, but some signs of vandalism are harder to remove than others.

Despite the best efforts of staff, the smell of sour milk lingers in the staff room, days on.

Ms Williams said Grange pupils have been questioning why someone would do this to their school, and why it would happen to them.

Ms Williams told the BBC there had been a great end to the term, with lots to celebrate

"It's sad for me, personally, and sad for the whole community, that's the staff and also the children," she said.

"We had a very busy end of term and we celebrated on the Wednesday before we finished."

The week before term ended, the school had welcomed pupils past and present to celebrate its 70th anniversary.

A picnic was held for current pupils and their parents and guardians, and former pupils were invited in to take a trip back in time, looking through the archives.

Furniture in the staff room was ruined by smashed glass

"It was a really busy and enjoyable end of the term, we left on a high," Ms Williams said.

"So we're just really saddened by the damage that has been caused as a result of this."

Grange Primary Academy is currently fundraising to repair the damage.

So far, they have raised £1,000 of their £5,000 target.