BENTON Park School is expected to fully re-open on Monday, three weeks after it was forced to close its doors when its roof was damaged by high winds.

Students were told to stay away from the school for a week after the damage to the roof of the main teaching block at the beginning of February.

Continuing stormy weather set back attempts to assess and repair the damage - meaning the school had to use its sports hall, sixth form block and off-site accommodation for some year groups, while others were told to study from home.

But in an update on the school’s website on February 14 headteacher Delia Martin said: “At long last, the scaffolding was erected and the roof assessment took place yesterday. Having seen the work involved, professionals are confident that they will be able to complete the work over half term and hand the full site back over to us for the first Monday back, 24th February 2020.

“ I think it is fair to say it will be a welcome relief to us all to get back to a normal routine. Throughout this two weeks we have done our very best to communicate with you in a timely and clear manner and whilst we appreciate some of our decisions have affected some more than others we have always had at the forefront of our minds the safety and well-being of our students and staff.

“We would like to thank you once again for your patience and support. It has been incredibly difficult for everyone involved and we know it has caused some real logistical challenges for families. We have also been struck by the maturity of our students throughout this period. They have shown great resilience in accessing the work sent and completing independent study and we are incredibly proud of the commitment they have shown to their studies. “We know that this is down to the fantastic support you, as parents and carers have provided for them, and it really does highlight to us the effective and positive home school partnership we enjoy with our families.

“We have tried over the past two weeks to respond to all the queries and concerns raised but if you need to discuss anything further with us please do not hesitate to get in touch. Thank you also to everyone who has sent in messages of support for the staff, they really have been much appreciated at a time when we have had to make some difficult choices.

“In terms of the staff, I feel incredibly privileged to work with such a dedicated, professional and committed team. Situations such as this really do prove what a fantastic team we are at Benton Park and I would like to thank them for all their hard work over the last two weeks.

“They have responded at short notice to changes and been willing to do whatever is needed to get our students back into education.”