A boy accused of burning down a school was seen setting fire to something in the staff room, a court heard.

He allegedly told a pal minutes later: "It doesn't matter anyway. No one will care. School is s***."

The 16-year-old is accused of breaking into Tideway School, Newhaven, in April and starting a blaze which caused damage costing several million pounds.

He denies arson and burglary.

A 15-year-old witness told Lewes Crown Court he had spent the day with the defendant and was with him on the night of the fire.

He said he was in a group hanging around the vicinity of Tideway School when the defendant said: "Why don't we go to the school to see if there is any money in it?"

Earlier that day, he said, he and the defendant had been with a group of teenagers talking about breaking into the school and stealing money or computers. Three boys approached the school on the night of the fire but only the defendant broke in, the court heard.

The witness said he saw the defendant walking around in the school using a lighter as a torch. He said: "He lit something with the lighter but I'm not sure what. As he walked away I could still see the glow and the flickering of whatever he had lit."

The witness said he waited for the defendant to come out and asked him if he had set fire to anything.

"He said he had lit something but he did not know if it would go up or not."

The defendant stayed at the witness's house that night and heard reports about the fire the following morning. The witness said: "My brother woke us up because it was all over the radio. (The defendant) said 'oh dear, I've burnt the school down.' He was in shock."

The witness said he covered up what happened when he made an initial statement to police but revealed the truth after he was arrested a few days later on suspicion of starting the fire.

Jeffrey Lamb, defending, said the witness's account was inconsistent.

The defence claims another boy started the blaze. The trial continues.