Newark Orchard School, on London Road, Newark appeal for information as Nottinghamshire Police investigate vandalism and break-in at special educational needs school

An appeal for information has been made after a special school was the target of mindless vandalism.

The Newark Orchard School, on London Road, fell victim to a sustained and destructive act of vandalism which has left leaders feeling heartbroken.

In the early hours of Thursday morning (April 4), the perpetrators hopped the fence of the school and began targeting school vehicles.

The school — which provides for young people with special educational needs — relies on these vehicles to support the learning of its pupils and go on school trips.

The incident left two school busses with their windows smashed and in need of repair.

One of these busses was paid for through charity donations and fundraising by the Friends of Newark Orchard School.

A Fiat Panda used for training and community engagement suffered the most and is likely to be written off as a result of the attack.

The car’s steering wheel was ripped off, windows broken, wing mirrors smashed, as well as the bonnet and roof dented in.

The unknown culprits then turned their attention to the school itself by breaking a window to the rear of the building, before entering and smashing more windows inside.

During the building break-in an alarm was triggered at around 4am which is believed to have prevented the perpetrators from causing more damage.

Police investigators have visited the scene to investigate a boot print left by a kick to a door and traces of blood.

School head, Margot Tyers, said: “It’s upsetting to think that someone could do this.

“It’s so mindless because it’s just pure damage and the level of damage that they have caused is just heartbreaking.

“We had a residential trip booked for the week back after Easter and with all the vehicles being smashed we’re either going to have to cancel the trip or add significant cost by hiring busses elsewhere.

“We use our busses on a daily basis and they’re going to be out of action for several weeks at least and none of that can take place while we’re waiting.

“We’re a new school, we have lots of vulnerable children here and they will be devastated.”

Margot encouraged anyone who may have seen or heard anything to contact the police and help bring those responsible to justice.

Although the school is insured, with the level of repairs involved in the two busses and the school windows, it is likely to have an unforeseen financial impact.

“There are a lot of repairs, all because of a mindless act done right in the middle of the Easter holidays when they know nobody is about,” said Margot.

“As with all schools, our budgets are tight and there’s nothing to pay for any of this — so we’re going to have to look at fundraising to be able to put things right.

“The community have always been fabulous with us and really really supportive, but the fear is, once we’ve fixed everything are they going to come back?

“They’ve been here and done this, what is to stop them from doing it again?”

If you have any information, please contact Nottinghamshire Police quoting incident number: 24000194673