'In all my years, I've never seen a more dysfunctional school'

LIPA teachers speak out on 'worsening' problems

- by LIAM THORP

THERE was a very special moment at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts earlier this month. Crowds of young, excited students packed into the entrance of the Mount Street building, waiting with baited breath to meet two musical icons.

Pictures captured the moment that Paul McCartney, the institute's lead patron and co-founder, arrived alongside his friend and fellow member of music royalty Bruce Springsteen. It was a huge treat for the aspiring performers who had gathered.

While these scenes of elation and excitement played out at the performing arts institute that was co-founded by Sir Paul back in 1996, just a few minutes walk away - at the school that bears the same name - there was a much less celebratory mood.

That's because around the same time that Macca and The Boss were making the dreams of a group of young people come true, a team of Ofsted inspectors were arriving at the LIPA Primary and High School site in Upper Duke Street for an unscheduled inspection.

LIPA primary and high school opened in September 2014 in Upper Duke Street and comes under the umbrella of the original performing arts academy founded by Sir Paul, but is run separately by the LIPA Multi-Academy Trust (MAT), which also includes a sixth form college.

Ofsted doesn’t routinely carry out what it calls ‘no notice’ inspections, in fact the watchdog states that this will only be done at schools where there are concerns.

While the results of that emergency inspection won't be released for a while, those working at the school have told the ECHO of a chaotic, dysfunctional and at times dangerous situation at the school in which pupil behaviour is out of control, much of the senior leadership team is absent and staff morale is at all time low.