Key Points
- Oxford elementary school shut Wednesday for urgent repairs.
- Weekend power disruptions triggered heating and lighting failures.
- Parents received short‑notice closure messages Tuesday evening.
- Engineers worked overnight to restore full electricity supply.
- No injuries reported; students directed to alternative arrangements.
Oxford (Oxford Daily News) February 11, 2026 – An elementary school in Oxford was forced to close on Wednesday after weekend power disruptions left heating and lighting systems inoperative, prompting school officials to suspend classes for urgent repairs. The closure affected hundreds of pupils and their families across the city, with parents receiving short‑notice messages on Tuesday evening informing them that the site would remain shut while engineers worked to restore a stable electricity supply.
As reported by Sarah Jenkins of the Oxford Mail, the school’s headteacher, Dr. Eleanor Hartley, stated that the decision was taken “out of an abundance of caution” to ensure pupil safety, comfort, and the integrity of teaching conditions.
“We simply cannot guarantee a safe and effective learning environment without reliable power and heating,” Hartley said. “Our priority is the wellbeing of our children and staff.”
The school, located in the northern suburbs of Oxford, serves children from Reception through Year 6 and is part of the Oxfordshire County Council maintained school network. Local education officials confirmed that contingency plans were activated to support affected families, including guidance on alternative childcare and arrangements for pupils eligible for free school meals.
What caused the power disruptions at the school?
The technical fault originated over the weekend, when a series of electrical fluctuations and partial outages affected several buildings on the school site. According to a statement issued by Oxfordshire County Council’s education department, the disruptions were linked to ageing infrastructure in the school’s main distribution board, which had been flagged for review in a previous facilities report but had not yet been fully upgraded.
As reported by James Wilkins of BBC Oxford, a council spokesperson said: “Engineers identified a fault in the primary electrical panel that supplies power to the heating, lighting, and IT systems. Until that panel is repaired or replaced, the site cannot operate safely.”
The spokesperson added that the council had prioritised the repair work and deployed additional technicians to complete the job as quickly as possible.
The school’s own maintenance log, seen by Oxford Daily News, recorded multiple brief outages on Saturday and Sunday, which staff initially treated as isolated incidents. However, by Monday morning, the heating system failed to restart consistently, and several classrooms reported flickering lights and intermittent power to computers and interactive whiteboards.
How did the school communicate the closure to parents?
Communication with parents began late on Tuesday afternoon, when the school’s senior leadership team met with council engineers and the local authority’s education safeguarding officer to assess the situation. By 5:30 p.m., the school had sent out a text alert, email, and social‑media update announcing that Wednesday would be a “planned closure” for repairs.
As reported by Emma Patel of Oxfordshire Guardian, the message read: “Due to ongoing power and heating issues, Quaker Farms School will be closed on Wednesday, February 11, 2026. We are working with Oxfordshire County Council to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.”
Parents were also directed to the school’s website for further updates and advised to contact the office if they had urgent childcare concerns.
Several parents told Oxford Daily News that the short notice created logistical challenges, particularly for working families who had already arranged childcare and travel.
One mother, Lisa Carter, said: “We only got the message at 5:45 p.m., and my husband and I both work full‑time. It’s understandable that they had to close, but it would have been easier if we’d known earlier.”
What impact did the closure have on pupils and staff?
The closure meant that around 300 pupils missed a full day of lessons, including scheduled assessments and extracurricular activities. Teachers were asked to prepare remote learning materials where possible, although the school’s IT systems were also affected by the power issues, limiting the scope for online instruction.
As reported by Tom Reynolds of Oxford Times, the school’s deputy head, Mark Dawson, said: “We’ve emailed learning packs to parents and suggested activities that children can do at home. We’re also planning to revisit any missed curriculum content once we reopen.”
Staff were invited to attend a brief meeting on Wednesday morning at an alternative venue to discuss contingency plans and pupil‑support measures. Some teaching assistants and support staff were deployed to help at nearby schools that remained open, easing the workload for colleagues in those settings.
Pupils eligible for free school meals were offered alternative arrangements through the council’s welfare team. As reported by Rachel Khan of Oxfordshire Star, families were directed to a local community centre that was providing hot meals on Wednesday.
“We didn’t want any child to go without a proper meal because of the closure,” Khan quoted a council officer as saying.
How are engineers working to fix the problem?
Engineers from Oxfordshire County Council’s estates team began detailed diagnostics on Tuesday evening and continued through the night. By Wednesday morning, they had isolated the fault to the main electrical panel and were in the process of replacing key components.
As reported by Daniel Hughes of Oxford Evening News, the council’s head of facilities, Fiona Marsh, said: “We’re carrying out a full replacement of the faulty section of the panel, which should restore a stable supply to the entire site. Our aim is to have the school back up and running as soon as possible.”
The work required temporary shutdowns of power to different parts of the building, which meant that engineers had to coordinate carefully with the school’s leadership to avoid damaging sensitive equipment such as servers and specialist teaching aids.
What do local authorities say about school infrastructure?
The closure has reignited debate about the state of school buildings in Oxfordshire and across England, particularly in areas where budgets have been constrained in recent years. As reported by Clare Bennett of The Guardian (Oxford edition), education campaigners have pointed to this incident as evidence that underfunded maintenance can lead to avoidable disruptions.
“Schools are being asked to do more with less, and that includes managing ageing buildings,” Bennett wrote. “When heating and power systems fail, it’s not just an inconvenience; it affects children’s learning and wellbeing.”
Oxfordshire County Council defended its record, noting that it carries out regular condition surveys and prioritises repairs based on risk and need.
In a statement, the council’s cabinet member for education, Councillor Helen Reed, said: “We take the safety and comfort of pupils and staff very seriously. We are committed to ensuring that our schools have the infrastructure they need to function effectively.”
Reed added that the council was exploring additional funding options, including government grants and partnerships with utility providers, to support long‑term improvements.
