LIPA School, Liverpool
LIPA School is an all-through school for pupils aged 4 to 16 in Liverpool, part of The Lipa Multi Academy Trust. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2024. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2026 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 27th-highest of the 42 schools in Liverpool with published results, and 2,884th of 3,298 across England. It was 81% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
- Capacity
- 81% full
- Attendance
- Below England average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Liverpool (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Liverpool (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
LIPA School in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at LIPA School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 38, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 42.8 in Liverpool and 47 across England.
25% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 38% in Liverpool and 47% in England.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 31, against 43 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 12 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 19 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Art and Design, Combined Science and History.
Getting a place at LIPA School
Across Liverpool, 68% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 90% were offered one of the schools they named.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to LIPA School are Liverpool Life Sciences UTC (0.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.6); The Studio School Liverpool (0.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.1); Purple Ruler (1.1 miles); and Marydale Lodge Sch (1.1 miles).
Each of them had higher 2026 results than LIPA School.
Liverpool Life Sciences UTCThe Studio School LiverpoolPurple RulerMarydale Lodge Sch
The trust
LIPA School is one of 2 schools run by The Lipa Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
75 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about LIPA School (as of September 2025): 37% would recommend the school, 65% say their child is happy there and 36% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (65%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (35%).
Who goes there
37.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 29.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (46%), Mixed (17%) and other ethnic groups (12%).
In 2026, 85 pupils (17%) received SEN support and 39 (7.8%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Liverpool Central Rail Station, about 670 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).
17 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Roscoe Street (adjacent), 70 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 1777 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, drug offences and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Liverpool (342), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, LIPA School issued 160 suspensions, 27 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 4 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to LIPA School are St Vincent de Paul Catholic Primary School (0.3 miles), Pleasant Street Primary School (0.4 miles), St Nicholas Catholic Academy (0.4 miles) and St Patrick's Catholic Primary School (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
St Vincent de Paul Catholic Primary SchoolPleasant Street Primary SchoolSt Nicholas Catholic AcademySt Patrick's Catholic Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 months agoOverall
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2026 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The school has made significant progress in creating a safer and happier atmosphere for pupils. Leaders have acted with integrity during a challenging period and have successfully strengthened safeguarding practices, including enhanced site security and clear behaviour expectations that pupils follow willingly. The school works effectively with external agencies and has brought in experienced professionals to support improvement.
Key Strengths
- Safeguarding is now effective with secure systems in place to keep pupils safe and monitor absent pupils
- Leaders have established consistently high expectations for pupil behaviour with new routines that pupils follow willingly
- School premises security and supervision have been enhanced for a safer school environment
- Leaders work in close partnership with external agencies and accept support from experienced professionals
Areas for Improvement
- Staffing remains unstable with high absence levels affecting continuity for pupils
- Curriculum lacks ambition and does not adequately prepare pupils for each stage of education
- Teaching does not help pupils develop sufficient depth of knowledge across subjects
- Staff do not routinely address gaps and misconceptions in pupils' knowledge
- Teaching is not adapted to meet the needs of pupils with SEND
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is now effective; the school has established secure arrangements to keep pupils safe, including regular contact with absent pupils and strengthened site security.
LIPA School is a primary school in Liverpool that was placed in special measures following its June 2025 inspection. This monitoring inspection in June 2026 found that safeguarding has significantly improved, though the school continues to work on addressing other areas of concern.
At a Glance
37.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
75 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 38.0 | 24.5% |
| Disadvantaged(22) | - | 31.0 | 22.7% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(31) | - | 43.0 | 25.8% |
| Boys(25) | - | 38.1 | 28% |
| Girls(28) | - | 37.9 | 21.4% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(8) | - | 45.7 | 37.5% |
| Non mobile(50) | - | 38.8 | 26% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
Exclusions & Suspensions
4
Permanent exclusions
0.67%
Exclusion rate
160
Suspensions
26.98%
Suspension rate
75 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 593 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby all-through schools
Keep up with LIPA School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near LIPA School.
- Kids in Bloom @ St Nic's680m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
LIPA School is a free school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Liverpool's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to LIPA School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. LIPA School is in Liverpool; for families living there:
- Liverpool's school travel policy: this document : Home to School Transport Policy 2026-27
- How to apply: Apply for a travel pass
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 161
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 41
- Children hurt
- 14
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 161 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 41 serious and 119 slight.
14 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 8 on foot and 6 in a vehicle or otherwise.
26 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Liverpool is 32 (the median across 193 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at LIPA School
Will you get a place at LIPA School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against LIPA School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for LIPA School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to LIPA School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Liverpool, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at LIPA School for 2015 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Liverpool got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
81%
Available places
583 pupils
720 places
137 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Liverpool
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Liverpool
Across Liverpool council
Places available
6,108
Applications
5,379
Got 1st preference
68.1%
Got preferred school
89.6%
All secondary applications across Liverpool council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
85
SEN Support
39
EHC Plans
24.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
499
Total Pupils
233
Boys
266
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
39
Teachers
12.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,614
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,188
Per pupil
£4726k
Total funding
£280k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
11.1%
Overall absence
35.8%
Persistent absence
592
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
LIPA School
Showing 10 of 13 linked schools
Questions parents ask about LIPA School
What are GCSE results like at LIPA School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at LIPA School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 38. 25% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is LIPA School's Ofsted rating?
LIPA School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2026, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2024, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for LIPA School?
No fixed boundary. When LIPA School is oversubscribed, Liverpool allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at LIPA School?
LIPA School was not full in 2025: it ran at 81% of its 720 places.
How big are the classes at LIPA School?
Classes at LIPA School average 20.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to LIPA School?
LIPA School has around 499 pupils on roll. 38% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at LIPA School?
11.1% of sessions were missed at LIPA School in 2024/25. 35.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to LIPA School?
Apply through Liverpool's coordinated admissions process, naming LIPA School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does LIPA School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of LIPA School: Kids in Bloom @ St Nic's (680m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near LIPA School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 161 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 41 serious and 119 slight. 14 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 8 on foot and 6 in a vehicle or otherwise. 26 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Liverpool is 32 (the median across 193 schools, same distance and years).
Where is LIPA School?
LIPA School is at Upper Duke Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 7BT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)