Cost of repairs willimpact on education

Shortly after forking out over £1,000 to have 20 smashed canteen windows repaired, Gerard Adams said: “I don’t know why they think it’s acceptable to attack a school building or what is being achieved by doing it, but the ones losing out here are the young people of the area who attend St Michael’s.”

CCTV footage supplied to police by the school shows four males entering the school grounds at around 8pm on Sunday night.

Mr Adams said: “We’re used to getting windows broken here but they really went to town on us this time.

“It’s very difficult to protect the premises as it’s so open and exposed up here.

“There’s very little we can do other than depend on the PSNI to keep an eye on the premises.

“We’re going to have to look at extending the CCTV and the possibility of hiring a private security company, but that would be at a considerable cost to the school.”

He explained: “We’re a voluntary grammar school which means we pay all our own bills.

“The more money I spend on nonsense like this, the less that goes on the education of young people.

“In a very real way the people who are doing this are only hurting their own community - their own friends, families and relatives who go to the school.”

Police have appealed to anyone who knows who caused the damage to contact them on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.