Shattered glass crunches under foot, as the shredded children’s work hangs off the walls.
Eggs and flour cling to the kitchen walls, while tables and chairs have been upended and electrical equipment smashed.
These were the sickening sights which greeted a north-east head teacher when she discovered vandals had wreaked havoc in her school.
Looking at the exterior of Turriff’s Markethill Primary from the deserted car park yesterday, there was no evidence of the tens of thousands of pounds devastation which lay within.
But as these shocking images from inside show, nothing escaped the intruders’ “wanton” destruction.
In the classrooms, tables and chairs were strewn across the floor and electrical equipment was torn apart. In the kitchen, eggs and flour were tossed on the walls and trodden onto the floors.
In the gym hall, sports equipment was pulled from the cupboards and used to smash apart the reinforced glass door panes leaving shards of glass strewn throughout the corridors.
Even the community’s symbolic stained glass window, which stood proudly at the heart of the school, has been wrecked.
The vandals have caused about £20,000 of damage – but what cannot be repaired are the drawings, models and treasures of the pupils of Markethill.
Now local officers overseeing the investigation at the school on Baden Powell Road have vowed to catch the culprits – who they described as “mindless”.
Sergeant David Threadgold said: “I’ve been in the police for 18 years and I’ve seen a lot of things but I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a sustained attack on a premises that is so apparently mindless.
“Who are they trying to target? Primary school children? Is that the level we’re at now in society when people feel comfortable to go in and basically destroy a primary school?”
Sgt Threadgold, who is based at Turriff police station less than 400 yards from the school, described the attack as a “personal insult” to him and the local community.
“It is not acceptable, it cannot be tolerated and we can with the assistance of the public bring the people who have done this to justice.
“Most poignantly, a stained glass window from the original Turriff Primary School has been damaged. This iconic piece of art, which was hoped to be transferred to the new school premises symbolises everything that the school means to the staff, pupils and wider community.
“To damage it in such a way is inexcusable, and I would urge the community to pull together to identify those responsible.”
The break-in happened between 5.30pm on Friday and 5.20pm on Sunday, when head teacher Fiona McRitchie arrived to prepare for lessons.
Forensics experts spent yesterday combing the entire school for evidence and officers are processing information gathered from social media.
The vandals spent a “considerable” amount of time inside the school, trashing teaching and sports areas throughout the building.
Sgt Threadgold said his team are following “positive lines of inquiry” and that a key strand of the investigation is the mess made in the school kitchen.
“It would be highly unlikely that whoever has perpetrated this would get away without foodstuffs on their clothing, maybe flour or eggs,” he said. “If you get that on your clothes its not easy to get off.
“Whoever does the laundry in a property, if you come home and find your son’s, boyfriend’s or husband’s clothes are dirty and can’t be explained – that could be significant for us.”
The attack has sparked outrage in the community, with leaders echoing the police’s calls for information.
Local councillor Alisan Norrie said: “I know it will be disappointing and disturbing to pupils, parents, staff and the people of Turriff that someone could do this to a school, and a primary school at that.”
Mike Rawlins, chairman of the local community council, added: “As a community we are very disappointed and upset that people feel it is acceptable to vandalise a school in this way.
“Personally I’d urge anyone who has any information about this or if they saw or heard anything around the school over the weekend to contact the police.”
Markethill Primary School will remain closed today as staff continue to clean up the damage.