VANDALS have wrecked a school’s new garden centre – before the kids got chance to use it.

Teenage yobs have repeatedly targeted the new outdoor shelter at Reinwood Infant School, Oakes, which was built during the summer holidays.

And now disappointed pupils have been forced to stay out of their wooded area until school staff can get the shelter fixed.

“It’s so disappointing” said headteacher Mrs Karen Butler.

“We were hoping to use the wooded area and the shelter so much but the pupils have not even had the chance to get in there.

“The sad thing is we were more than happy for members of the local community to use the shelter but these youngsters have chosen to wreck it.”

The school’s outdoor learning co-ordinator, Mrs Bethany Matthews, had worked for months to secure funding for the shelter and got a National Lottery grant of £3,000 to help develop the outside area.

The school shares the pleasant wooded garden with Reinwood Junior School and the intention was to create a study area where pupils could enjoy lessons.

The shelter was intended to be used for some of the lessons but also as a place where the youngsters could sit and chat and enjoy their lunches.

Now panels down one side of it have been kicked in, yobs have tried to set fire to the building and many of the walls have been defaced with graffiti.

School staff have also had to clean up drugs debris from the site.

Mrs Butler said: “We were really looking forward to getting the most out of the shelter this term.

“We had all sorts of activities planned for the site.

“We were also in touch with community groups such as Scouts and Brownies and the local playgroups and nurseries and had invited them to use the shelter when the school did not need it.

“Now we have to find the funds to get it repaired.”

The vandalism has been reported to police and officers from the Huddersfield North Neighbourhood Policing team have stepped up patrols around the school.

They urged anyone with information about the damage to contact them on 0845 6060606.