A HEAD TEACHER is warning parents to watch out for their children after increased vandalism at her school.

Fences have been ripped up, windows broken and carrier bags of empty drink bottles left in the playground at Guiseley Infant and Nursery School.

Now, head teacher Alice Halliwell fears that the young teenagers could hurt themselves after some of them were spotted climbing on a Perspex roof.

Mrs Halliwell said: "Last weekend residents around the school saw children on the Perspex roof between two corridors in the school and I'm concerned that they will fall through and really hurt themselves. There could be a serious injury."

Vandalism at the Oxford Road school was common until two years ago when a fence was built around the school.

But in the last few weeks, groups of young teenagers have returned to the school at weekends and in the evenings.

The groups of youths have been skateboarding around the playground, breaking a fence around the nursery school and smashing windows.

They are also bringing carrier bags of alcohol into the school grounds, drinking it and leaving the smashed bottles in the playground.

"We're getting bottles smashed in the playground which I'm very concerned about, children have to play there. We also find empty carrier bags that they've used to bring the bottles into the school," said Mrs Halliwell.

Teachers and staff have also had to face vomit on the school steps when they arrive for work in the morning.

The groups of 13 to 15 year olds come into the school grounds at the weekends and in the evenings and are sometimes challenged by teachers and school staff still on the premises.

Mrs Halliwell said: "When there's been someone here and they have been asked to remove themselves from the premises, they've actually been very abusive and residents have had foul language used against them."

Fences are repaired by the school caretaker, but quickly damaged again.

The police have been informed and have visited the school to see what can be done.

But Mrs Halliwell believes the vandalism could be stopped if parents took a greater interest in what their children were doing.

"I would ask parents to be more vigilant and find out where their children are going. They might not even know that they are drinking," said Mrs Halliwell.

Councillor Graham Latty (Con, Aireborough) sympathised with Mrs Halliwell and added similar problems had been experienced in other schools in Aireborough.

"I know there has been problems at Ss Peter and Paul Primary School in Yeadon with children skateboarding on the roof and there has also been problems at Tranmere Park School in Guiseley.

"I would agree that parents need to take more responsibility. "Unless the police catch these teenagers doing something, there is very little they can do and even if they do, they're juveniles.