BRAZEN thieves cut through a fence and stole a school minibus while pupils and staff had their daily assembly.
Thieves cut through the perimeter fence at Goldthorpe Primary, on Doncaster Road, before removing the glass from the door of the locked minibus, cutting the gate’s padlock off and driving away at about 2.40pm on Tuesday.
A social media campaign to try and find the bus, which was last seen driving towards Hickleton, was launched almost immediately.
But staff received the news that the bus had been found, torched and with its engine missing, on Ramskir Lane in Stainforth the same night.
Headteacher Sarah Fields said: “It was set on fire at about 5.30pm and the recovery company picked it up at 8pm.
“We went for a look and all we got back was the little door off the petrol cap. They have taken it, removed the engine and torched it.
“We had hoped to get it back through social media before it was dismantled or destroyed. But obviously we couldn’t do that.”
The 17-seater silver minibus was leased by the school and was emblazoned with Goldthorpe Primary on both sides, as well as numerous safety stickers.
“There is a reason we have a bus and that is because coaches are really expensive to hire,” Sarah said.
“We feel there is more value in the children being able to see, visit and be part of the topics they are studying and they can do that in smaller groups which makes for a better experience.
“For example if they are doing a geography trip then rather than send them all out on a big trip, some will go to an outdoors store, some will go and have a go at putting tents up, and others will go on a hike somewhere. It gives the children an audience to talk to when they return too.
“Not all the children at school could do these things otherwise. But the bus was ours so we could just do it, and we have been able to send kids to awards shows and conferences too.
“The kids would go swimming on Fridays at Wath Baths and I don’t know how we are going to handle that now.”
Sarah said she has been overwhelmed by the community’s support since the theft.
“We have been contacted by two businesses. Bromley RGD Ltd, groundworks contractors from Grimethorpe, have stepped in and sorted minibus transport for today so that 24 children are still able to go to their swimming lessons in Wath. We are incredibly grateful to Ben Stevenson for this.
“And Portwest Clothing, Thurnscoe, have provided a coach for today so that the two groups of children scheduled to go to Leeds Armouries this week do not miss out. The children are absolutely thrilled and we really appreciate this act of kindness.”
Sarah said the theft had left a big impression on the school children.
“They are appalled by it. They have been working on stuff all day like wanted posters, blogs and newspaper articles about it and we have been encouraging them to use emotive vocabulary to express their feelings.
“We are going to have to look and see if we can lease another bus because we just can’t manage without one. Every time they miss a swimming lesson, that session has already been paid for.”
Sarah said she had advised the local authority to alert other schools in the area to the theft, as last week another school in Mexborough had its bus stolen and discovered in a similar location.
“We have kids and staff outside almost all the time, except for when they come inside for assembly. But we don’t put the times of it out in any of our public information, so they must have known when it would be clear, which is not a good thought.
“I’m just very sad about the whole situation.”
A spokeswoman for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue confirmed firefighters attended the scene at 5.30pm to discover the minibus well alight, having been deliberately set on fire.
Anyone with information is asked to contact 101 quoting incident 610 of February 20.
