MONEY which was to be used to send youngsters from cash-strapped families on a school trip was stolen when thieves targeted two schools.

Burglars, described as ‘beyond contempt’, smashed their way into the primary schools in overnight raids, snatching a safe containing more than £1,000 from one raid.

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Vicky Axon, headteacher at St Nicholas’ CofE Primary, Church, said: “The people who did this are beyond contempt. Not only are they stealing from children, they are stealing from children who have next to nothing in their own lives.”

Police are investigating whether a second burglary, which happened on the same night, at St Mary’s RC Primary, in Clayton-le-Moors, may be linked.

The raiders took five laptops and £400 worth of cash and cheques after smashing through a window and rummaging through the school office.

Mrs Axon, headteacher at St Nicholas’, said some of the money stolen was due to be spent on taking reception class children, aged four and five, on their first school outing to a farm.

She said: “Everything we do is about giving the children opportunities that they don’t always get at home.

“The very children who need these things in life are having them taken away. They are stealing from the most needy.

“It is just terrible.”

Both thefts happened overnight between Wednesday and Thursday. In both cases, police said the attackers smashed a window, before making their way through the school and ending up in the reception office.

An investigation has been launched and detectives are urging anyone with information to come forward.

Mrs Axon said this was the fourth time her school had been broken into in the last 12 months.

She said: “This time, it seems as though the burglars smashed the window and then went into classrooms. They grabbed any laptops they could find.

“They then went down to the office area at the front, broke into my office and had a good rummage around.

“They then broke into the school office and took the safe, which was really well bolted to the floor. It contained quite a large amount of money, including money we had collected for dinner money, a school trip and a staff collection.”

Mrs Axon said teachers had been planning on taking the reception children to Cobble Hey Farm, in Garstang, to help the pupils with their topic on spring animals.

She said: “It is their very first school trip and the parents sent in money. A lot of our families have very low incomes, but those who could contributed.

“The kids were really looking forward to it because they have been learning all about chicks. They wanted to see them in real life.

“We will make sure it still goes ahead, but we cannot ask the parents for the money again. We will fully fund it, but it means other activities will not be able to happen.”

Mary Nolan, headteacher at St Mary’s, said she had to reassure pupils they were safe in school following the break in.

She said: “Everybody feels terrible. The school is like our second home and everybody is really upset.

“I have spoken to the children and ensured that they all feel safe in school.”

Insp Phil Hutchinson asked people who lived near schools to report any suspicious behaviour to officers.

He said: “It would be a reasonable assumption to make that these two offences were committed by the same person or people, but we are investigating.

“We are approaching the holidays and we would ask people who live around schools to be vigilant.

“Similarly, if anybody has any information about these burglaries, please contact police.”

Anybody with information should call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.