Parents have begun an online fundraising drive after a Glasgow primary school was badly damaged by teenage vandals who destroyed every piece of computer equipment, smashed sinks and made popcorn in two microwave ovens before wrecking them.
The cost of the damage at Gowanbank primary is thought to run to more than £10,000. It is the fifth primary school in Glasgow to be targeted by vandals this summer.
Headteacher John Daly said it looked like a bomb had been detonated in the school in the Nitshill area of south Glasgow. “Nothing was stolen, everything was just trashed. It was nothing but wanton vandalism and it is very deflating,” he told the Evening Times.
“It may only be a building but this completely takes away from providing our children with a safe and protective learning environment.”
The intruders appeared to take their time, smashing or scratching every computer monitor, pulling whiteboards off the walls, setting off fire extinguishers and breaking crockery.
Evening Times reporter Catriona Stewart tweeted:
These school attacks make me embarrassed for Glasgow. In this one, the kids paused for jelly & ice cream. https://t.co/r0KL0dIg9A
— Catriona Stewart (@LadyCatHT) July 27, 2016
Irene Wilson, the school’s janitor who was passing by the school, raised the alarm after hearing noise from inside. It has been hit by vandals as recently as last week.
Gowanbank’s parent council has launched an online fundraising appeal in a bid to return the school to as close as possible to normal before classes resume in three weeks.
Help Our Wee Gowanbank School https://t.co/eFzZqK8buA
— yvonne aka moondust (@cleodancer1) July 27, 2016
Daly said he was trying to replace Gowanbank’s IT equipment. “We can’t function without it and I plan to get new crayons and drawing equipment for the children. One silver lining is that there are still a couple of weeks before school goes back so we will be able to get the place back up and running.”
Liz Cameron, Glasgow city council’s executive member for children, young people and lifelong learning, said the incidents of school vandalism were soul destroying. “The respect for education shown by these – let’s be blunt – thugs is nil ... Our schools are the most treasured thing in our city and we all must protect them,” she said.
“I’m saying to everybody in the community – our schools are there for your children and your grandchildren and it is the responsibility of everyone in the community to look after them.”
Another Glasgow primary scool, St Catherine’s, has also been the target of multiple break-ins, with the vandals smashing windows, starting fires and causing other damage that has cost an estimated £100,000.
The Scotsman reported that a group of former pupils is thought to be responsible for much of the damage. Although some have been identified by parents and pupils, no one has been willing to give a statement to police.
