The notice is the latest blow to the crisis-hit multi academy trust which saw a school close early last month
LIPA Sixth Form has been issued a termination warning notice (Image: Liverpool Echo)
A failing Liverpool sixth form has been hit with a termination warning notice from the Department of Education, which could see its funding agreement ended. LIPA Sixth Form is based on Upper Duke Street in Liverpool city centre.
The sixth form is run by the troubled LIPA Multi-Academy Trust, which also runs the LIPA School for primary and secondary children, which was forced to close early last month after a damning Ofsted report led to safety concerns. The sixth form was also heavily criticised by Ofsted earlier this year, with its rating plummeting to inadequate, having been outstanding back in 2019.
The February inspection came at a time of strike action by staff at the college, who said morale was at rock bottom and workloads were unsustainable.
While the industrial action has since ended, the Department of Education clearly still has concerns about the sixth form and the trust which runs it.
A termination warning notice was issued to the members and trustees of the trust in respect of the sixth form at the end of June.
A letter sent by the Department of Education’s regional director for the North West, Vicky Beer, explains that the notice follows the most recent Ofsted inspection of the sixth form, which resulted in an inadequate rating.
The letter states that in accordance with government policies, the Secretary of State for Education may terminate the funding agreement with an academy institution if the chief inspector “does not consider the education or training inspected in the academy to be of a quality adequate to meet the reasonable needs of those receiving it.”
Ms Beer added that she now considers it necessary to issue a termination warning notice to LIPA Sixth Form.
The most recent Ofsted inspection of the sixth form, carried out against a backdrop of major strike action by staff, found that many of those working at the college had lost faith in the leaders of the multi-academy trust that runs it.
Inspectors recommended the college resolved broken relationships between striking staff and trustees and returned to the usual teaching timetable, helping students to catch up on lost learning, and providing sufficient training for students on wider personal development topics.
LIPA Sixth Form staff on strike earlier this year(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
In her letter to the trust, Ms Beer said: “I recognise the difficult context, particularly with the industrial action at the sixth form college and was assured to hear that this has now been resolved.
“However, I remain concerned about the overall performance of the trust, particularly the impact of unstable leadership, the current financial position of the trust and of your ability to promptly address the points highlighted in the Ofsted report.
“As regional director, I need to be satisfied that the trust has capacity to deliver rapid and sustainable improvement at the academy. If I am not satisfied that this can be achieved, I will consider whether to terminate the funding agreement in order to transfer the academy to an alternative academy trust.”
She said that in making her decision, she will be mindful of any representations sent to her by the trust, which she asked for by July 18.
Speaking about the latest developments, Bora Oktas, regional officer at the National Education Union said: “This Termination Warning Notice only vindicates the serious concerns raised by NEU members over many months about the governance and leadership of LIPA MAT — and LIPA Sixth Form College in particular.”
He said staff had long been “sounding the alarm” over issues like safeguarding and the finances of the trust. He added: “Now, the Department for Education has finally acknowledged the severity of the situation. It should never have come to this.”
Mr Oktas added: ““The crisis at LIPA MAT is not an isolated incident. it is a symptom of a broken academy system that lacks transparency, democratic accountability, and proper oversight. When schools are removed from local authority control and handed over to private trusts, the public loses its right to scrutinise how decisions are made, how money is spent, and how staff and students are treated.”
A spokesperson for “The three recommendations made by Ofsted for LIPA Sixth Form College were promptly and fully implemented and we have continued to make a raft of improvements.
“We have submitted a formal response to the Department for Education detailing the significant strides we have made across all key areas, and we are confident this demonstrates our commitment to rapid and sustainable improvement.”