LIPA School

Inspection of LIPA School Upper Duke Street, Liverpool, Merseyside L1 7BT

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The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Inadequate Personal development Inadequate Leadership and management Inadequate Early years provision Inadequate Previous inspection grade Requires improvement

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The headteacher of this school is Andrew Raven. This school is part of The LIPA Multi- Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. There was no chief executive officer (CEO) in post at the time of the inspection. The trust is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Sean McNamara. 5 and 6 June 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils in different year groups and with different needs do not benefit from positive experiences at this school. The high proportion of supply or temporary staff in the school has caused pupils uncertainty. Many pupils feel unsettled.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, particularly those in the secondary school and children in the early years, have been adversely affected by recent industrial action. Pupils in key stage 4 are concerned about the impact that this will have on their ability to complete their qualifications. Pupils are frustrated that their education is being disrupted.

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What is it like to attend this school?

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 stated that the sanctions for inappropriate behaviour are not applied consistently well. As a result, pupils’ behaviour does not improve. Attendance procedures do not ensure that pupils are safe when they are absent from school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have high aspirations for their next steps, particularly those who are interested in pursuing creative and performing arts subjects in the future. However, their ambitions are not being realised. This is because the school’s expectations of pupils’ achievement are not high enough. Pupils do not achieve well. They are not well prepared for the next steps in their education, training or employment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Although there are some opportunities for pupils to engage in activities to develop their interests and to support the community, only a small number of pupils take up this offer. The opportunities for pupils to take on responsibilities are limited.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The trust has failed to ensure that the leadership team has the capacity to fulfil its role effectively. It has been too slow to respond to concerns about leadership and staffing capacity within the school. As a result, leadership is stretched too thinly, leaving gaps in oversight and decision-making. This means that critical aspects of the school’s operations, including statutory responsibilities around safeguarding and the quality of education that pupils receive, have been compromised. The trust has not held the school to account for the decline in pupils’ education. The roles and responsibilities of trustees and members of the local governing body lack clarity. Additionally, there is no CEO in post to provide the strategic leadership and direction that the trust requires.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Since the last inspection, the quality of education that pupils receive has declined. While some curriculums are well thought out, many lack ambition and are not delivered effectively. The activities that staff design do not help pupils to build their knowledge or to retain it over time.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Many pupils have gaps in their knowledge due to absence or disrupted learning. Staff do not use effective approaches to check what pupils know and remember. This means that staff introduce new learning when pupils do not have a secure foundation on which to 5 and 6 June 2025

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build new knowledge. As a result, pupils struggle to apply their prior knowledge when learning new or more complex subject content.

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Weaknesses in the curriculum design and delivery have been compounded by high levels of staff absence. While some pupils have benefited from working with the same teachers over time, others have experienced considerable disruption. This has had a negative impact on pupils’ achievement. Staff feel that their workload is becoming unmanageable due to the instability in leadership. Morale is low.

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The school has systems in place to identify pupils’ additional needs. However, staff lack the expertise and knowledge to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) effectively. Learning is not adapted adequately to help these pupils achieve well. Many pupils with SEND do not receive the support that they need. As a result, these pupils do not learn as well as they should.

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Although children in the early years get off to a prompt start in learning phonics, these children, and pupils in key stage 1, do not learn to read as quickly as they should. The turbulence in staffing hinders their ability to build their phonics knowledge securely. This means that some pupils struggle to read with fluency and confidence. Older pupils choose books to read for pleasure from the class libraries. This helps to build their reading confidence.

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The systems to promote positive behaviour are ineffective. Many staff do not feel supported to manage pupils’ challenging behaviour. Staff do not implement the behaviour policy effectively, and sanctions are not applied consistently. Very recent changes to the behaviour policy are having success in some pockets of the school, but it is not enough to ensure that pupils behave well enough. Lessons in the secondary school are disrupted by pupils who are not engaged in learning activities.

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The school has suitable processes in place to analyse attendance data. While there have been some recent improvements in overall attendance levels, pupil absence and persistent absence rates remain high, particularly in the secondary-age phase. Many pupils miss a considerable amount of time away from school. This has led to gaps in their learning. The school has recently sought support to improve its approach to tackling pupils’ absence, but there is not enough capacity for this to have the impact that it needs.

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There have been some very recent updates to the programme to support pupils’ personal development. However, it is early days. Current pupils are not benefiting from these changes. For example, the activities designed to teach pupils about how to treat each other with respect lack coherence. As a result, groups of pupils persistently use derogatory and discriminatory language towards each other. This makes other pupils feel anxious and unsafe. Furthermore, these activities are not shaped well enough to respond to relevant local contextual issues promptly, such as the potential risks that pupils are exposed to by being so close to the city centre. Pupils are not prepared well for life in modern Britain. 5 and 6 June 2025

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Pupils do not receive the opportunities that they are entitled to regarding careers advice and guidance, including appropriate encounters with providers of apprenticeships and technical education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

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.

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Safeguarding

The lack of leadership capacity, coupled with considerable staff turbulence, means that the school does not have sufficient supervision of some areas of the school premises. In addition, it does not maintain appropriate oversight of the play equipment that is used by children in the early years. This has the potential to cause pupils harm.

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Safeguarding

When concerns are raised by pupils or staff, they are followed up appropriately. However, a minority of staff do not report concerns as they should. Furthermore, some pupils lack confidence in staff’s actions, which means that they choose not to share their worries. As a result, some behaviours that make groups of pupils feel unsafe are not identified or resolved because the school is unaware that they are happening.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The trust has not taken effective action to stabilise the recent turbulence in the leadership and wider staffing at the school. Consequently, leaders and staff are stretched beyond capacity. This has led to high staff absence and a lack of continuity for pupils. Pupils and staff have suffered as a result. The trust must take urgent action to stabilise the staffing at the school and provide much needed capacity at leadership level so that all aspects of the school’s provision improve rapidly.  The roles and responsibilities of those responsible for governance lack definition. The trust has not held the school to account for the decline in the quality of education that pupils receive. As a result, children in the early years and pupils across the rest of the school, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, do not achieve well. The trust must ensure that it gains an accurate insight into the school’s effectiveness so

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

that it can provide the necessary support and challenge to aid its improvement.  Safeguarding arrangements are not effective. The systems to check pupils’ safety and well-being when they are absent from school are not followed as set out in the school’s policy. This means that the school does not have oversight of where these pupils are, which puts them at risk of harm. The trust must take immediate action to ensure that there is capacity in the attendance team to follow the attendance policies and keep pupils safe. 5 and 6 June 2025

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 The curriculum across the school lacks ambition and does not prepare pupils sufficiently well for each stage of their education. In the early years, children do not build the foundations that they need to be successful in Year 1. The school must ensure that it designs and implements a suitably coherent and ambitious curriculum, including in the early years, so that children and pupils make a strong start to their education.  The activities that staff design to teach the curriculum do not help pupils to develop sufficient depth of knowledge about the subjects that they study. This prevents different groups of pupils from achieving well. The school must equip staff to deliver the curriculum successfully so that pupils can build on what they know and deepen their learning over time.  The school has not ensured that staff adapt teaching to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. As a result, these pupils become disengaged and do not achieve as well as they

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should. The school should ensure that staff are equipped with suitable strategies to support pupils with SEND so that these pupils learn all that they should.  Staff do not routinely rectify gaps and misconceptions in pupils’ knowledge. They lack clarity about how to make checks on what pupils remember. This means that pupils move on to new learning before they are ready. Pupils are not prepared sufficiently well for each year or stage of their education. The school should ensure that staff address pupils’ errors and misunderstandings promptly so that pupils build their knowledge securely.  The school has not established consistently high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. In lessons and around the school, the poor behaviour of some pupils, at times, goes unnoticed and unchallenged by staff. This hinders the learning of others and makes pupils feel unsafe. The school should clarify the expectations that it has about pupils’

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behaviour and ensure that staff receive the support that they need to address any incidents. This is to make sure that pupils are safe and can learn in a positive environment.  The programme to support pupils’ personal development is ineffective. It is not coherent or valued by many pupils. As a result, some groups of pupils do not understand how to treat each other with respect. The school must ensure that the programme to support pupils’ personal development is fit for purpose and supports pupils to develop a clear understanding of how to treat each other in modern Britain.

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HMCI strongly recommends that the school does not seek to appoint early career teachers. The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be considered again during any monitoring inspection we carry out.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection. 5 and 6 June 2025

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The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 5 and 6 June 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 12 and 13 March 2024, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The substantive headteacher was absent from work at the time of the inspection. The acting headteacher and acting deputy headteacher are very recent appointments.  A significant number of the senior leadership team were on long-term absence during the inspection.  On the first day of the inspection, many staff were taking industrial action. As a result, none of the secondary-aged pupils were on site and some of the primary pupils were not in school.  The school is part of The LIPA Multi Academy Trust.  At the time of the inspection, there was no substantive CEO in post.  Since the last inspection, many of the members of the local governing body, including the chair of the local governors, have been appointed.  The school opened in 2014 for children in the Reception Year only. Each year, the number of pupils on the school roll has increased. From September 2024, the school has included children in the Reception Year to pupils in Year 10.

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 The school has an additional site which is used for some secondary-aged pupils. It is based at Federation House, Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9BW.  The school makes use of three registered alternative provisions.  The school does not meet the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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Information about this inspection

The inspection was carried out following a number of complaints made to Ofsted that raised serious concerns. His Majesty’s Chief Inspector decided that an inspection of the school should take place to follow up the whole-school issues that were raised.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 as an urgent inspection without notice. We deemed the inspection a graded (section 5) inspection under the same Act. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, English, mathematics and history. They discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited some lessons, reviewed pupils’ work and spoke with staff and pupils.  An inspector observed some pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors visited lessons and looked at pupils’ work in some other subjects.  Inspectors met with the chair of the trust, the accounting officer of the trust, the acting headteacher and the acting deputy headteacher.  The lead inspector held meetings with members of the trust and the local governing body, including the chair of governors. She also spoke with a representative from the

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 Inspectors met with leaders to discuss SEND, the curriculum, assessment, pupils’ behaviour and attitudes, the early years provision and the provision for pupils’ personal development.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They considered responses to Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys. Inspectors gathered the views of staff and pupils throughout the inspection.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes and lunchtimes.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being.

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Inspection team

Elaine Mawson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Pippa Jackson Maitland His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mavis Smith His Majesty’s Inspector 5 and 6 June 2025

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