Freemantles School raises funds to replace stolen minibus

A school which serves 280 autistic children has started fundraising to replace a stolen and destroyed minibus.

The vehicle was one of 13 used by Freemantles School in Woking, Surrey.

After being stolen, it was found completely burned.

The school said the insurance payment would not fully cover the cost of replacing it. So she launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise £15,745.

Executive principal Justin Price said the school’s fleet of minibuses played a vital role in helping students interact with the world.

“We use them for community learning, which is a fundamental part of our program,” he told BBC Radio Surrey.

“They may struggle to generalize some of their learning, so if we’re learning how to use the money, we want to integrate them into the community so they can do the same thing.

“In the last Ofsted we repeatedly commented on community learning. They felt that was what made us outstanding.”

The bus was stolen from a staff member’s driveway just before Christmas and found burned a few days later.

“It’s a real struggle for us because we want all classes to be taught at least twice a week, and sometimes more, because we want to prepare them properly for adult life,” Mr Price said.