Desk and locker await her return

The school that Madeleine McCann was due to start tomorrow has left a desk empty in the hope that one day the missing child will sit at it. A coat peg and locker have also been allocated to the four-year-old.

Gail Neill, headteacher of Bishop Ellis Catholic primary school in Thurmaston, said yesterday: “We are deeply saddened we cannot yet welcome Madeleine. A place has been prepared here for her in exactly the same way as it has been for the other children.

“It will remain ready and waiting as we continue to pray, along with her parents.”

She added: “We keep a candle burning for Madeleine in our school. It symbolises our hope and her spirit.”

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