A PRIMARY school could be shut for the rest of the week after a suspected arson attack destroyed a building used to store children’s outdoor toys.

Fire crews spent two hours dealing with the blaze, at Horton Park Primary in Canterbury, early on Wednesday morning, preventing the fire from spreading to the rest of the school.

However, despite their efforts, adjoining reception classrooms suffered “extensive damage” and the school may not be able to be re-opened to pupils until next week.

Fire crews from Fairweather Green and Cleckheaton stations were called to the school at 11.44pm on Tuesday. The fire had damaged windows in the main school building, and the two fire crews had to expose part of the building’s roof to make sure the fire didn’t spread. The building also suffered water damage.

Fire investigators and police were examining the cause of the blaze on Wednesday, although they say it is being treated as arson.

The storage area contained outdoor play equipment used by pupils, and yesterday morning all that remained was ash, melted plastic and the metal frames of some of the toys.

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Although the school is in the centre of one of the most deprived areas in the district, Horton Park Primary has achieved some of the best results in the district in recent primary tables, and hundreds of thousands have been spent in recent years improving school facilities.

Duncan Jacques, CEO of Exceed Academies Trust, which runs the school, said yesterday: “Following a fire at Horton Park Primary School in the early hours of Wednesday morning, we have been forced to close the school to all pupils today.

“The cause of the fire is being investigated by the police and fire service.

“Unfortunately, there has been extensive damage in some of the classrooms along with the Reception classes’ outdoor play areas. Our Health and Safety Team are on site and are investigating the possibility of suspected structural damage to the roof and the building.

“School staff are making phenomenal efforts and are working tirelessly to ensure the school is safe and ready for the children to return as soon as possible. We are in the process of re-configuring the school layout to accommodate the needs of our children.

“We are also reviewing access to the site to ensure that children and parents are safe when they attend.

“We would like to thank the swift response of the emergency services. Without their timely action, the fire would have spread and affected many more areas of the school.

“We will keep parents informed via our website, text service, Bradford Schools Online and Twitter.”

Head Salma Rahman, who was called to the school in the middle of the night, said: “The staff have really pulled together to work to make sure the classrooms will be up and running as soon as possible. We’re having to re-locate a lot of things at the moment, and it looks like we might be closed until the end of the week.

“We will work with all agencies to make the school as safe and secure as possible.”

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: “Police were called by the fire service at about 11.47pm on Tuesday to a report of a fire in a store at Horton Park Primary School.

“Enquiries are ongoing by the police and fire service investigators into the fire which is being treated as a suspected arson offence.

“Anyone who has information about the fire or who saw suspicious behaviour inside the bin store at around 11.30pm is asked to contact Bradford District Police on 101 referencing crime number 13170282027.

“Information can also be given in anonymity to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

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The fire was the latest in a series of suspected criminal acts that have damaged the school.

In May, windows of the school’s minibuses were smashed by intruders, and almost one year ago vandals wrecked the school’s then new recreation area, knocking down trees on the site and damaging fencing.

Mrs Rahman said it was “unfortunate” that acts of vandalism were regularly affecting the school and its pupils.