Parents angry after £5k school shed burnt down by 'vandals'

The outdoor shed that served Aitkenhead Primary School in Uddingston went up in flames around 8pm on Sunday, October 13. 

A video shared with the Glasgow Times shows the blaze rip through the Outdoor Learning Resource Shed which was left as a pile of burnt-out wood.

Ardia Tomlinson, whose son is in primary two, says the school and nearby Birkanshaw Park have been dealing with incidents of anti-social behaviour since around 2021.

She said: "Property has been vandalised in the area around Birkanshaw Park.

"The school had a greenhouse which was vandalised, gardens that the kids put in have been damaged, pretty much anything that the school’s parents had fundraised for.

"Over the summer, the kids lost their outdoor learning space as the school were finding drug paraphernalia.

"We have parents who have donated countless time and money. This shed that burnt down, we fundraised £5,000 for.

"The school and parent council have been trying to get North Lanarkshire Council to put in floodlights and do something to secure the area."

The fire destroyed the outdoor learning resource (Image: North Lanarkshire Council) Another parent, who wish to remain anonymous, has asked the council to help provide additional security for the school.

She said: "The outdoor learning space is used a lot by the school but on the weekends there are vandals coming in and trashing it. My boy was really upset about this.

"I don’t know what the council has done but flood lighting would help and the fences aren’t as high as the other schools.

"This has been going on for some time."

Aitkenhead Primary School in Uddingston (Image: Google Maps) Paula Jeffreys, Head Teacher of Aitkenhead Primary School, is appealing for information on the incident as the school prepares to welcome their pupils back next week following the October holiday.

She said: "We are sickened by this senseless attack on a highly valued school resource.

"We are working with other council services over the October break to ensure that things can return to normal - as best as possible - for pupils when they return.

"We'd appeal for anyone with information on the attack on the Outdoor Learning Resource Shed to contact the police."

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Local politicians have also chimed in on the incident as the community is being assured that damages will be repaired over the school holidays to minimise the impact of the fire.

Councillor Michael McBride, convener of education, children and families, said: “Council staff are working hard to ensure that the damage in the playground is cleaned up over the holidays so that there will be minimum impact on pupils.

“I’d like to thank everyone involved in the clean-up for turning this around so quickly and for their professionalism.”

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 8.43pm on Sunday, October 13 to reports of a shed on fire within the grounds of a school at Lincoln Avenue, Uddingston.

“Operations Control mobilised one fire appliance and firefighters extinguished a fire affecting a wooden shed within a school playground.

“There were no reported casualties and crews left after ensuring the area was made safe.”