MUCH-NEEDED repairs to a special school in Blackbird Leys may lead to more closures over the next few days.

The school in Knights Road caters for 60 boys who struggle in mainstream classrooms due to emotional and behavioural problems.

After long-standing issues with a leaking roof, the school closed on September 22 and again on Wednesday and Thursday for repairs.

Patching work has now been carried out, but staff and students may find the school closed again next week while a section of the roof is replaced.

Headteacher Mark Blencowe said: “The leak is above the cookery room and every time it rains heavily water comes through.

“I hope it will be sorted but it’s an old building and you can never anticipate what’s coming. We are only early on into the autumn and shall have to see what happens when it snows.”

He could not confirm whether closures would take place next week, but added: “Most schools end up closing at some point because of bad weather. We will manage.”

The site was constructed in the 1970s as Ivanhoe Primary School, becoming Northfield School in 1981.

Last winter an accommodation block in Blackbird Leys belonging to the school, known as Northfield Hostel, was closed by Oxfordshire County Council. It hosted up to nine pupils a night from Mondays to Fridays and was reportedly in need of repairs that would have cost too much.

Single parent Sean Badby, whose 12-year-old son Jack commutes to the school from Banbury, said: “The funding just stopped. Repairs are definitely overdue. It has been left to run down by the council – they have not done any work in there.

“It’s a brilliant school and it needs to stay open no matter what.

“It’s got a magical atmosphere. What they do for the children to inspire them is amazing and the teachers could not try any harder.

“I don’t think Jack would have survived in a normal school environment.”

County council spokesman Owen Morton said: “The council is working closely with staff at Northfield School to resolve a water leak problem in the school’s roof, which caused the school to close this week following heavy rain.

“Staff from the council’s property team have already carried out some patching work to address this, and will next week begin work to replace a section of roof above one of the classroom blocks. We are working closely with the school to ensure disruption to children’s education is minimised as far as possible.”