ATTEMPTS to build a fence around Bradley Junior and Infant schools to ward off vandals have been knocked back.
The school grounds have open access and have suffered from repeated broken windows and graffiti.
Concerned parents told how used condoms had been found on site after gangs of youths hung around the premises outside school hours.
Wheeled bins had been set on fire and trial bikes were ridden through the premises as children played.
Plans for a fence were put to a Kirklees Council planning committee, but planners asked for them to be withdrawn because of demands for a better style of fence.
Clr Ken Smith, a governor of the school, insisted the setback is only temporary.
He said: "There are two reasons for building this fence, firstly bec- ause the school suffers damage out of teaching hours and secondly for the protection of the children while they are in school."
The proposed fence was thought too obtrusive and met with prot- est from residents whose houses back on to the schools, which share the same building.
Clr Smith said: "We are at a stage now that we need to find a solution that is suitable for both the school's security and the local residents."
Mrs Silva Scott, chairman of the governors, said plans for a different fence were now in negotiations.
She said: "We are looking at another type of fence that is more aesthetically pleasing.
"If this fence is secure and within our budget we will move forward with it."
