A Bingley school was today facing a bill of around £20,000 after an arson attack gutted one of its nursery classrooms.

Staff at Trinity All Saints Primary CE School, Church Street, were assessing the damage caused by the blaze, started in the early hours of this morning.

Head teacher the Reverend Libby Toomsalu said the new term was due to start tomorrow but 22 nursery children will not start until Thursday.

The school, which doubled in size following Bradford Council's education shake-up in September, was formed out of a merger between Bingley CE School and Holy Trinity.

The Rev Toomsalu said: "It's an enormous blow. I can't even think how we are going to go about recouping it. I can't imagine who has done this. You just don't expect it.

"I have been here 19 years and this is the worst thing that has happened in that time. We have had break-ins and vandalism but nothing like this.

"It was all going to be so exciting, a new start. But maybe starting in adversity pulls you all together.

"We have to try to be optimistic, I know all the staff will pull together. I am sure that parents will be supportive as they have in the past.

"The nursery teacher Sue Horsman is too upset to talk about it. She has been badly hit by it.

"All the nursery equipment from both schools was in that room. Computers, radios, everything you would have in a classroom, has been destroyed. It will take a massive amount of money to replace.

"The school is in the middle of a rebuilding programme. There's a new administration block, new library and two new classrooms.

"We are moving the nursery into part of the original building and that room was going to become a classroom for older children."

A resident of Crosley Woods flats raised the alarm after seeing the flames across the valley at around 1.30am. Firefighters from Shipley and Bingley were called to deal with the blaze.

Sergeant Alan Gee, of Keighley police, said: "We appreciate that term is about to start and no doubt this will cause upheaval and inconvenience.

"We are anxious to get to the bottom of who has committed this offence and identify the suspects.

"Anyone who can help or was in the vicinity at the time, 1.25am, should contact Keighley CID on 01535 617085."

Steve Eyre, senior surveyor at Bradford Council, said: "The nursery wing of the school has been gutted and will cost in the region of £20,000 to put right.

"But it could have been a lot worse especially if the fire door had not been closed. It could have been a complete burn-out altogether."

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