A SCHOOL has been subjected to its third attack by vandals in a fortnight.

Three windows were broken in the latest incident at Alderman Leach Infant School over last weekend, leaving staff with a clean-up job on the morning they were preparing to welcome Government inspectors from the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted).

A previous attack last Thursday night, saw windows broken, flower beds dug up and graffiti scrawled on the outside walls.

After that attack Darlington Borough Council said it had arranged for security guards to patrol the area, but they were not in action by the weekend.

However, a council spokesman said the patrols were now taking place.

The school was left with a £2,000 bill for window repairs after an attack in January.

It is waiting to find out how much the replacement of 87 windows smashed in a recent attack will cost.

Representatives from Ofsted arrived at the school on Monday to carry out their routine inspection, only hours after the latest damage was discovered.

But a council spokeswoman said it was hoped the worst problems were over.

She said: "The school is still very concerned, but they feel things have calmed down.

"The majority of the damage that happened before has been repaired or replaced as necessary,"

Further discussions are being planned with school governors to discuss extra security arrangements.

Anyone who has any information about the attacks is asked to contact Darlington police on (01325) 467681, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111