PUPILS at a Horwich school have been told to stay at home today after an arson attack destroyed part of the building this morning. Fire swept through the staff room, toilet area and corridor of Lever Park School, just before 7am. Arsonists are believed to have started the fire - which caused tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage - after breaking in through windows in the staff room and an adjoining room.

The caretaker of the school, which has around 40 pupils of all ages with emotional or behavioural difficulties, was alerted when an intruder alarm went off.

Four fire crews from Horwich and Bolton Central stations were quickly on the scene off Stocks Park Drive and firemen wearing breathing apparatus entered the building to tackle the fierce blaze, which took an hour to control.

The fire spread through the building's false ceiling to the corridor and toilet block, with thick black smoke spreading to offices and the eight classrooms. Around a quarter of the building's roof was destroyed but a separate classroom block was not affected.

Surveying the devastation this morning, headteacher Roger Waring said children will be told to stay at home today. A decision about whether the school will be able to reopen for the rest of the last week before the summer holidays will be made once the extent of the damage can be checked.

"We have a lot of work to do. We will assess the damage during the day and let the parents know," said Mr Waring.

In recent months the school has suffered vandal attacks with graffiti and broken windows but not arson attempts.

Mr Waring expected staff arriving for work today to be "phlegmatic" about the destruction.

"There is no point in being angry about it," he added.

However some members of staff would be upset about the loss of possessions and work they had stored in the staff room, where the blaze was so intense that it destroyed lockers.

"A lot of their personal effects will have gone," said Mr Waring

But he believes that pupil records have been saved and the school computer will be checked once electricity is restored.

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