Schoolboy slams vandals

AN 11-year-old boy has hit out at vandals for destroying new planting at his school.

Leiston Middle School pupil James Abbott was so disgusted when vandals struck last Wednesday night, and broke three windows and destroyed plant beds outside a new sports hall that he wrote a letter to the EADT to express his outrage.

"I would suggest that the person who has carried out this mindless act has the decency to come forward and apologise, and explain why he/she wanted to do such a thing," he said.

Although to them it was a joke, they were not thinking about the consequences of their actions, he said.

"I wrote this letter to the East Anglian because I was outraged at the vandalism they had actually done to the school," he said.

"We could have actually spent our money on nicer things like books and equipment but instead we had to pay for the broken windows."

Staff and pupils worked to clear up the mess and save the plants, some of which were thrown onto the roof.

"If there are visitors from other schools they can say that's a really horrible, messy school and Leiston Middle would get a bad reputation," he said.

James was also upset about an incident at Easter when a memorial statue of a fairy in memory of pupil Tyne McCalla, who died tragically following an accident at home, disappeared. It was later returned.

School head Stephen Wood was full of praise for James' actions in writing to the newspaper.

"He's only 11 and yet he's had the maturity to act the way he's done. I think it's absolutely magnificent," he said.

"One of the things we are promoting here is citizenship and I think this is a great example."

He was "immensely proud" of the way pupils had reacted to the destruction.

"I think it speaks highly of the sort of children we have got at this school."