Students 'worried' after infant school in Birmingham burgled four times in fortnight

An infant school in Birmingham has been burgled for the fourth time in a fortnight.

Thieves stole tools, iPads, knives and food for children’s lunches and snacks at St Laurence Church Infant School in Northfield.

Alongside damaging windows, doors, and furniture, children’s work was thrown around classrooms.

Headteacher Catherine Smith has said the string of break-ins has had a severe impact on the school's finances and recovery is even harder as the school's insurance will not cover the stolen items.

• St Laurence Church Infant School's headteacher Catherine Smith speaking about the impact of the break-ins

Speaking to ITV News Central she said: "Obviously that's money that we've got to find from our stretched school budgets from elsewhere, things that were here marks for other projects in the school.

"We are now having to spend to replace things that we already had.

"And every time we've had to break in, we've had to deal with cleaning up all of the mess and repairing the things that have been broken as well. So it's had a really big impact on us here."

Children at the school have said they are upset by the break-ins and scared they'll get hurt.

One pupil said: "We wont be able to have our iPads on wellbeing Wednesday."

Another said: "I'm worried because we might get robbed by them again."

"They might come back and steal our food again," said another.

One parent has branded the break-ins "disgusting."

• A parent from St Laurence Church Infant School speaking about the impact of the break-ins

Speaking to ITV News Central Kathryn Thorp, Parent and PTA member, said: "Those things don't come cheap and they aren't free. And already our education system doesn't have a huge amount of funds and we struggle you know, to get the things that we need.

"And as parents and members of the PTA, we work really hard to raise money for the school so that they have extra resources. The school work really hard to provide those things for children.

"And for somebody to take that away from them is it's really disgusting."

It's estimated restoring everything would take £5,000 out of the school budget.

A donation page has been set up by one of the parents, which has already raised more than £4,600 of its £5,000 target in less than 24 hours to help repair the damage and replace stolen equipment.