A STOLEN art portfolio full of two years of coursework was recovered just days before exams are due to start.

Cassidy Hall, 15, of Oldwyk, Basildon, discovered the missing work had been swiped from the doorstep of her home.

Mother Colette, 42, launched an appeal to find the portfolio which contained all her projects for the past two years of her GCSE course at The Appleton School in Croft Road, Benfleet.

A pink bag, containing Cassidy’s PE kit, was also taken in the incident, but fortunately the work has since been recovered.

Mrs Hall said: “My husband rested it down for no more than five minutes, he went out and it was gone.

“It was just devastating that it was taken from her.

“It did not hold any value to anybody else, it’s just a young girl’s art coursework but to Cassidy and us, it is so important.

“The PE kit we are not worried about.

“It is an inconvenience but it is replaceable.

“Cassidy’s art folder is two years of GCSE coursework and totally irreplaceable.”

Cassidy started studying for her GCSEs in year nine, a system which The Appleton School brought in a few years ago.

The portfolio was taken while Colette’s husband was taking Cassidy and her youngest brother into their house.

Thankfully, after a public appeal to help find the portfolio, Cassidy has now been reunited with the folder that she has spent the last two years working on tirelessly.

It appears the coursework was stolen as was the bag.

But when the callous crook emptied the bag while fleeing they found there was nothing of value.

Mrs Hall said: “A woman found the bag and portfolio in the next street along, Swanstead. The clothes from Cassidy’s PE kit was streamed all over the floor.

“Whoever it was that had taken it must have rummaged through it and realised there was nothing of value in there.”

The missing portfolio was reported to the school and will now form part of her course.