Disabled pupils may miss out on trips after intruders broke into school grounds and stole minibuses
Disabled pupils at a Kingswinford school could miss out on trips after two of its minibuses worth around £40,000 each were stolen.
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The vehicles were taken from Summerhill School in Lodge Lane at around 11.30pm on Sunday when the gates to the site were "rammed".
Maintenance staff were the first to discover that the buses – which were the only two owned by the school – had been taken the following morning.
Headteacher Tim Harris said he has already had to call off a rounders tournament as a result of the theft and may have to cancel a trip planned to Bletchley Park this Friday, which about 100 of the school's 1,100 pupils, including some who use wheelchairs, were due to attend.
The buses were specially adapted to accommodate disabled pupils at the school and were used everyday to take youngsters on trips, to sporting fixtures and help out in the community, including taking goods to nearby food banks.
Mr Harris, who has been headteacher for three years, said: "The site team came in on Monday and found the gates broken, so [the offenders] had either rammed or broken our external gate, cut an internal gate and smashed the window to the minibuses as well.
"I am just exceptionally disappointed for the students because everything we do is for them and we are having to take experiences away from them because we can't get them there.
"It is the impact on the children for us. Vehicles are vehicles, finance is finance, but our students come first and we are going to have to disappoint some of them."
Mr Harris said the school is working with the police and in the meantime, is receiving "lots of friendly support" from nearby schools and the local authority.
A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: "We are investigating after two minibuses were stolen from a school in Kingswinford, Dudley on Sunday evening.
"It is understood that intruders forced their way through gates into the grounds of the school before making off with the vehicles around 11.30pm.
"Anyone with information is asked to contact us on 101 or via Live Chat on our website and quote crime reference 20/589852/24."
Summerhill School also put an appeal on Facebook on Monday, urging anyone who saw the minibuses to get in contact the police or the school on 01384 816165 or by email at info@summerhill.dudley.sch.uk
