CHILDREN were turned away from a school on Monday morning after vandals smashed 14 windows of the building at the weekend.

Pupils of Malvern Way Infant and Nursery School in Croxley Green had classes called off for the day for safety reasons.

Any disappointment the youngsters may have suffered from the unscheduled break in their education was alleviated, however, by the generosity of a nearby church cafe who handed out free drinks to parents and children arriving at the school gate.

Volunteers from St Oswald's Church new out reach project Caf O, handed out vouchers to parents arriving at the school gate.

The adults were invited to the cafe for a free coffee and the children were given hot chocolate and cookies while home made cakes were sent into the school for the staff who were busy clearing up.

Vanessa Mackay, a volunteer at Caf O said: "We were saddened to hear about the mindless vandalism at the school and saw an opportunity to help."

Police confirmed there had been a function at the school on Saturday and it was noted that there was no damage up until 8pm that night.

But the alarm was raised by the headteacher, who contacted police on Monday morning after discovering the windows to five of the classrooms had been smashed with two plastic chairs from the outside play area.