St Patrick's PS Newry

In recent weeks we were all sad to hear of a senseless attack on St Patrick's Primary School in Newry. In the attack upwards of fourteen large windows were smashed by youths in what can only be described as wanton vandalism. At the request of the school principle myself and my colleague councillor Charlie Casey (who also sits on the Board of Governors) visited the scene of the destruction. It was very disheartening to see the scale of the attack. Large double glazed windows were totally destroyed and at the time it was estimated that £4 - £5 thousand worth of damage was caused, money that the school does not have.The vigilance of people living in and around the school has no doubt limited the damage as people where quickly on the scene and disturbed the attackers who were believed to be children in their early teens.



What is even more annoying was the fact that security grills that once donned the windows but which had been removed by the school two years ago may now have to be erected again, a sad but necessary step. St Patrick's is the hub of the Meadow community and the people who live in the vicinity of the school will no doubt redouble their attention to ensure that the school and the school grounds are safe and free from vandalism. The staff must be commended for their hard work both within and outside the school. They are determined to put this issue to one side and continue to work with the children of this area and their parents to ensure that the children receive the highest standard of education.

Several days after the initial attack a second attack took place again resulting in windows being smashed. Due to the quick reaction of residents and staff people were on the scene within minutes and police apprehended a youth nearby. Thankfully the attacks have stopped and hopefully there is no re occurrence of such attacks. Everyone must step up to the plate to ensure that places like St Patrick's are safeguarded from any form of attack in the future but more importantly parents need to know the whereabouts of their children at all times.