Primary school teachers in a Co Tyrone village were today counting the cost of an arson attack.
Sion Mills Primary School was damaged in an attack which occurred shortly after midnight.
However, the school's principal Mrs Deirdre Amour was thankful that fire-fighters were quickly on the scene and managed to contain the damage to the door of the school's nursery.
She said: "It appears a bin was set alight at the door of the nursery and the flames shot into the wooden rafter damaging the glass panelling.
"Thankfully it isn't bad inside because local residents were able to raise the alarm and the fire brigade were on the scene quickly.
"Had the fire spread we could have lost a lot of offices in the complex but as it stands I would reckon that thousands of pounds-worth of damage has been caused."
The school has 310 pupils. It also operates a nursery which looks after children aged between three and four.
Around 26 children attend nursery in the morning and 24 in the afternoon. The school draws pupils and staff from both the unionist and nationalist communities.
Mrs Amour said the school had been targeted by vandals earlier this year, with 15 windows in a new extension being damaged.
"This is by far the most serious incident," she said.
"This is a village school which serves everybody. I, personally, am at a loss to understand who would do this."
Police in Strabane today appealed for anyone with information about the attack to help their investigation.
They asked anyone who was in the Westview Terrace area where the school is situated and who may have been anything suspicious before the attack to come forward.
PA