Council promises LIPA parents school places for all
BBCA council leader has promised parents of pupils at a closure-threatened school there will be enough places across the city to accommodate them.
But parents in Liverpool have asked councillors for their support to help keep LIPA primary and secondary school on Upper Duke Street open.
School leaders announced last week it was due to close by the end of August, over financial issues and concerns about its facilities.
Liam Robinson said it was a "deeply worrying" time for parents but the council was working with the department of education to make sure "everyone will be accommodated" with places elsewhere.
LIPA School is run by an academy trust which is separate from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, founded by Sir Paul McCartney.
School leaders said the decision to close the school had been made jointly with Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson.
Mum-of-two Dagmara Wojciechowicz said she hoped local politicians would step in and save the school, adding she wanted the council "to advocate for us".
"They hold important conversations and they can shape policies that can shape the city," she said.
"I'm hoping that with their support and their understanding of how much the school means to us, they will be able to then support us in any way that it's possible and hopefully turn this tide and keep the school open."
Robinson said he was certain there would be enough places in schools across the city to accommodate pupils from the LIPA School, if and when it closes.
"Its catchment actually is quite wide because its close to the city centre, so it's not just families that live close to the city centre," he said.
"It's also people that are commuting from a further distance because it's convenient for their kids to go there.
"We're working very, very closely with the Department of Education and schools right across the city to make sure everyone will be accommodated."
The Department for Education said the decision to close the school had not been taken lightly and a four-week consultation was now under way.
Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
