Girl, 13, and boy, 12, arrested over vandalism which forced St Helens school to close

A girl, 13, and boy, 12 have been arrested following a break in at a school in St Helens which resulted in the school being forced to close. At around 9pm on Saturday 25 November Merseyside Police received a report of a break in at Rainford High School on Higher Lane. Officers searched the building and found several classrooms, lockers and glass windows had been damaged.

Fire extinguishers had also been pulled off the walls and used to damage toilets and equipment within the school. CCTV footage from the school showed two youths inside the premises during the time of the offence and videos of the incident were posted on social media over the weekend.

A 12- year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl from St Helens have now been arrested on suspicion of burglary and taken into custody. Detective Inspector Jimmy Rotheram said: "Although two arrests have been made our officers are continuing to investigate this crime which has caused extensive damage to Rainford High School resulting in the premises not being able to open today. "This was a reckless offence and I hope these arrests show how seriously we take such crimes in our community. "We understand that videos of the incident were posted on social media over the weekend and I would urge anyone who saw the content and recognised anyone who could be responsible for this offence to contact police. "I would also urge any parents and guardians of pupils at the school who know of this incident to speak to their children and let us know if they have any information that could help our investigation."

At the school, members of the community have volunteered to help with the clean-up so it can re-open.

In an Instagram post, Rainford High asked its followers if anyone could lend them an industrial carpet cleaner to assist with the clean up, as "a small household one would not work."

Despite the school being closed, a scheduled Year 13 Criminology Exam which will still be taking place.

The school plans to be open by Tuesday 28 November.

The vandalism has been met with outcry from members of the Rainford community, with the Parish Council Chairman Chris Lamb labelling the damage "reckless" and "appalling".

He said: "I was both shocked and appalled to hear about the incident at Rainford High overnight.

"The disruption to learning, delayed educational programme and the emotional impact this will have on both pupils and the increased financial burden on families who will now have to take time off work, much of it unpaid is hard to put a figure in.

"The reckless nature of these criminals creates an impact that will ripple through our community and beyond.

"All of us at Rainford Parish Council fully support Mr Young and his team to get the school up and running again as soon as possible."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know...