From damning Ofsted reports, to sudden closures and the top boss quitting, it has been a dramatic year for LIPA School
LIPA Primary and Secondary school in Upper Parliament Street
LIPA Primary and Secondary school in Upper Parliament Street
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There was a special moment at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts this summer. Crowds of excited young students had packed into the building's Mount Street entrance, waiting for a glimpse of two music legends that were due to arrive.
A few moments later, pictures captured the moment that Sir Paul McCartney, the institute's lead patron and co-founder, arrived along with his friend and fellow rock icon Bruce Springsteen, who was in the city ahead of a number of gigs at Anfield Stadium.
While these joyous scenes played out at LIPA, there was a very different atmosphere at the school that carries the same name just a few minutes walk away.
That's because around the same time that Sir Paul and The Boss were delighting the crowds at LIPA, Ofsted inspectors were descending on the LIPA Primary and High School site in Duke Street for an unscheduled inspection.
LIPA primary and high school opened in September 2014 in Upper Duke Street and while it shares a name with the original performing arts academy founded by Sir Paul, it is run entirely separately by the LIPA Multi-Academy Trust (MAT), which also includes a sixth form college.
The so-called 'no notice' inspection was taking place after concerns had been raised about the running of the school. Such inspections only occur when worries about standards, safeguarding, leadership or governance are heard.
Prior to the inspection, the ECHO had already heard a number of concerns about the operation of LIPA School from the people working there.
LIPA Primary and High School
LIPA Primary and High School
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Staff told us that pupil behaviour was out of control, citing examples of violence and of children routinely skipping lessons, mocking teachers and even escaping via fire exits to become unaccounted for in the city centre.
One teacher told us at the time: "Staff have also been directly threatened. Teachers are frequently sworn at, screamed at, and physically intimidated by students."
Around the time the inspectors arrived, the situation with the school's senior leadership was chaotic, to say the least. Then headteacher Andrew Raven had been largely off work for a year and only two members of the school's five-strong leadership team were in work at the time, leaving staff feeling under-supported during the major challenges they were facing.
One staff member told us: "The senior leadership team (SLT) is either absent, disengaged, or wholly ineffective. Many members are frequently off-site or on prolonged absences, leaving the school effectively leaderless.
"In their absence, newly promoted SLT members—lacking sufficient experience—are left to manage complex strategic issues without guidance or support."
Another staff member simply added: "In all my years teaching, I have never seen such a dysfunctional school."
Just under a month after we reported these concerns from staff, they were powerfully backed up as the results of the spot inspection saw Ofsted plunging LIPA School into special measures, rating it as inadequate in every possible area.
In its excoriating report, Ofsted said standards at the school, which was already rated as requiring improvement, had declined and criticised the trust for not holding the school to account for this decline in standards.
One of the most concerning aspects of the report concerned pupil safety, behaviour and safeguarding. The report stated: "While some pupils feel happy at school, others expressed that they do not feel safe. They feel scared or threatened by the poor behaviour of other pupils."
Pupils at the school were found to be persistently using "derogatory and discriminatory" language, making others feel anxious. Damningly, Ofsted said pupils at LIPA "were not prepared well for life in modern Britain."
Deep concerns around safeguarding were raised. The report added: "The school does not make appropriate checks when pupils are absent from school. Its actions to follow up pupils’ absence are too slow. This means that pupils, and particularly those who are vulnerable, are at risk of harm."
Charles Bartholomew resigned as the CEO of the crisis-hit LIPA Multi-Academy Trust which runs LIPA School
Charles Bartholomew resigned as the CEO of the crisis-hit LIPA Multi-Academy Trust which runs LIPA School
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Responding to the report at the time, Charles Bartholomew, who had only recently been appointed as the CEO of the LIPA trust, said he and his team fully accepted the seriousness of the issues raised and would be taking immediate action to improve things.But this would be one of the last actions Mr Bartholomew would take in his new role.Exactly a week after the ECHO reported on the damning Ofsted inspection, there was even more explosive news to come out of LIPA School.On July 17, we revealed that the school building itself had been closed immediately several days before the end of the summer term - and would not reopen before the holidays. A message said this was due to "unforeseen circumstances", which followed a safety inspection of the site by School Improvement Liverpool.The next day, it was confirmed that Mr Bartholomew, who had only recently been appointed as CEO of the trust that operates the school, announced he would be resigning, with a statement explaining that he intended to "prioritise his health and family."It was a hugely dramatic end to the school term that understandably left parents and pupils confused and destabilised. Since that point, the news coming out of LIPA School has been a little quieter, although questions about the long-term operation of the school remain.The ECHO understands an update on its future is expected in the new year.