Vandals caused almost a quarter of a million pounds worth of damage to schools in Tayside and Fife last year, new figures have revealed.
Fife’s bill totalled £192,070 for acts of wanton destruction against the buildings within which children are educated, the highest in Scotland.
A Freedom of Information request by the Scottish Conservatives has revealed deliberate damage to schools across Scotland cost £859,011 last year, the most in three years.
Liz Smith, the party’s shadow education secretary, said: “It’s very worrying that vandals continue to regard schools as fair game.
“Our councils are hard-pressed enough without having to fork out for needless repairs like this.
“People ought to remember that these are supposed to be safe environments for children to learn and teachers to operate.
“That cannot be the case when they arrive in the morning to find damage to their space.
“Anyone caught vandalising schools should be dealt with firmly to ensure similar behaviour is not repeated in future.”
The Scotland-wide bill has exceed £4.5 million over the last five years but the total is likely to be even higher, with some local authorities — including Dundee and Edinburgh — unable to put a figure on the cost of vandalism.
The amount paid out by councils had been falling year-on-year but 2015/16 saw spikes both locally and nationally.
The Courier has carried reports of multiple acts of destruction carried out against schools across Tayside and Fife in recent months, many of which have left pupils distraught as their hard work is destroyed.
The FoI response shows damage was caused either by pupils or others outwith school hours. Incidents included broken windows, damage to toilets and graffiti.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “Any vandalism inflicted on schools is totally unacceptable. The costs involved in repairing and addressing damage could be far better spent on school resources.
“Police Scotland takes a robust approach in investigating such incidents and we work with local authorities and local communities to encourage greater respect for school buildings and other community facilities.”