Raymond Terrace fire: Irrawang Public School site to remain closed on Tuesday after blaze

Department of Education executive director of school performance Tim McCallum said the community had shown "top resolve to take this and work through it", after a demountable at the Thou-Walla Family Centre uses was destroyed by the Sunday fire and a number of classrooms were broken into and vandalised.

IN THE NEWS:

He said staff were checking in with students to ensure "they were feeling assured" and counselling was available.

"There's disappointment and a sadness that someone feels that that's the way they might treat a school, but of course the sadness is laced in the way in which children value their learning space and their resources and their work products," Mr McCallum said.

"So it's distressing for parents I think because they invest so heavily in their own children and to see that taken away even in a short time is just so disappointing and so frustrating, particularly when the school under [principal] Stacy [Mathieson]'s leadership has really built fabulous bonds and partnerships with their community. I think they feel that something wrong has happened that they sadly are then the victims of."

He said police had been on site on Monday and the department was focused on air monitoring, structural safety and ensuring the site was clean.

"We're making sure especially after the Wickham example the air quality is right, because some of the buildings are quite old there, particularly the one that was burned severely," he said.

"We just have to be careful that we get all that right before we head on back there."

He said the department would reassess the situation on Tuesday after overnight works and update families about when students could return to the site.

Police charged two boys aged 14 and 15, who were refused bail to appear at a children's court.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: