'We will fight until the end to save our school'

Parents of children at a closure-threatened Liverpool school said they would "fight until the doors close behind us" to save their sons and daughters' "special and unique" education.

Hundreds of children and parents have staged a demonstration outside LIPA primary and secondary school on Upper Duke Street after news emerged it was due to close by the end of August.

Leaders revealed financial problems and falling pupil numbers. The Department for Education said a four-week consultation exercise was now under way.

"A school isn't just about financial statements and paper, it's about a community, it's our identity," said National Education Union representative Katie Brennan.

"It's the hours that we have put into school improvement and serving the children in the community, and as you can see, we are putting up a good fight to save the school," added Brennan.

"I've never known a staff team like ours. It's very unique and very special, and the fact that we're going to be broken up and scattered to the wind, with some people actually already saying that they want out of education altogether, will be a huge loss to the industry."

Last week a letter to parents from the school's leaders said the decision to shut had been taken jointly with Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson after it had struggled for some time with financial issues and concerns about its facilities.

Anna Mulholland, whose daughter has attended the school since she was four years old, vowed she and other parents would "fight until the end".

"It's being presented as very final but we are in a consultation period," she said.

"Parents have come together, staff are working really hard - a lot of parents have said until those doors close behind us, that's when we'll give up."

The school, which is run by the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts Multi Academy Trust (LIPA MAT), is a separate institution to the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) higher education performing arts college which was founded by Beatle Sir Paul McCartney.

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