Performing arts school closes over safety concerns

A specialist performing arts school in Liverpool has closed four days before the end of term after safety concerns were flagged by council inspectors and a union.

The LIPA Multi Academy Trust - comprised of a school and sixth form college - said it had this week invited Liverpool City Council to do a "safeguarding review", which found "the school buildings require some adjustments to ensure total safety".

It said the issues were "not overnight fixes" and the safety of pupils and staff "must take top priority".

The National Education Union's regional officer Bora Oktas said: "I was surprised it wasn't closed sooner for the reason that there are really very severe and very life-threatening failures at this school."

The trust's chief executive officer Charles Bartholomew resigned on Thursday "to prioritise his health and family", a trust representative confirmed.

They said he would continue in his role as principal of the adjoined LIPA sixth form college "before taking his long-planned retirement on 31 August".

Mr Oktas said: "We were warning the employer for a long time that there were failures in health and safety and the closure that happened today was not unexpected."

He said he had visited the school and seen for himself a range of fire hazards, including a shortage of fire extinguishers, with many of those in the school being out of date, along with issues with fire escapes and "very small" corridors and stairs.

He said he had been warning the school about these issues "for a long time", as well as raising concerns about asbestos being present in parts of the school.

Mr Oktas said the union had served notice of six days of strike action in September, amid escalating concerns about the school's governance, safety, and long-term viability.

"Our members are really concerned, not only for themselves but for the pupils that they are teaching," he added.

He said he had tried unsuccessfully to communicate with the trust's chief executive Prof Sean McNamara on a number of occasions over the past 18 months, adding that the school did not recognise unions.

The LIPA trust said: "We regret the inconvenience this will cause to parents and pupils, however this decision was made for the safety of pupils and staff, which must take top priority.

"There are several adjustments that relate to fire safety and fire evacuation," they said, adding that there was "no issue with asbestos".

The sixth form college was put into special measures following an Ofsted inspection in February.

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