A KENT head teacher ordered some of her former pupils to pay for the damage after she recognised them on CCTV as they vandalised school property.

Sue McCracken, head of Miers Court Primary School, Rainham, ordered the offenders to pay the clean-up bill with their pocket money after summoning them to her office.

The acts of vandalism included urinating in the school grounds, smashing up plant pots and throwing eggs and rotten apples at classroom windows.

Mrs McCracken, who has been at the school for 10 years, traced the boys using the school archives.

She said: "As luck would have it, all those concerned answered the phone themselves. I told them who I was and asked them if they could spare five minutes to come and see me.

"When they arrived I showed them what we had on CCTV and explained I wanted compensating for the damage and they agreed.

"They were all very remorseful but could offer no explanation for what they had done."

Over the last two years, six youths have agreed to pay for the damage they caused to the school.

Mrs McCracken added: "If they're under 16, though, we contact the parents and get them on board first."

The school has spent £12,000 on a CCTV system and £50,000 on installing a 7ft spiked fence around three sides of the perimeter.

The school has since run out of funds to pay for the remainder of the boundary to be secured.

* For more on this story see Monday's Medway Messenger.