LIPA School, Liverpool

Requires Improvement
All-through
Free schools
Mixed
Ages 416

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Claire McKendrick
Pupils:499 / 572 capacity
LA:Liverpool
Phone:01519580020
Address:Upper Duke Street, Liverpool, L1 7BT
Trust:THE LIPA MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
Admissions:Non-selective
Status:open
Opened:1 September 2014

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 3 months ago
-

Overall

Inadequate

Quality of Education

Inadequate

Behaviour & Attitudes

Inadequate

Personal Development

Inadequate

Leadership & Management

Inadequate

Early Years

Inspected 2 June 2026View full report
URN:141103
UKPRN:10046828
Constituency:Liverpool Riverside
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

The school has systems for identifying additional needs and some pupils feel happy attending. However, these strengths are overshadowed by significant concerns about safety, teaching quality, and support for vulnerable learners.

Key Strengths

  • Some pupils have high aspirations, particularly those interested in creative and performing arts
  • Older pupils access class libraries to build reading confidence
  • The school has systems in place to identify pupils with additional needs
  • Some recent changes to the behaviour policy are showing early success in pockets of the school
  • The school has suitable processes to analyse attendance data

Areas for Improvement

  • Leadership capacity is severely stretched, leaving gaps in oversight of safeguarding and education quality
  • High levels of staff absence and disruption mean many pupils miss out on consistent teaching
  • Curriculum lacks ambition and is not delivered effectively to build pupils' knowledge
  • Behaviour systems are not applied consistently, with poor behaviour often going unchallenged
  • Staff lack expertise to support pupils with SEND effectively, and learning is not adapted to their needs

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are not effective - the school does not make appropriate checks when pupils are absent from school, leaving vulnerable pupils at risk of harm.

LIPA School has been rated Inadequate across all areas following inspection in June 2025. The school is struggling with high staff turnover, weak leadership capacity, and significant disruption to pupils' learning.

At a Glance

37.6%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

75 responses
Would recommend37%
Child is happy65%
Well taught59%
Good progress37%
Feels safe64%
Well behaved35%
Bullying dealt with19%
Kept informed40%
Handles concerns35%
Wider development43%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading+1ppMaths-12ppWriting-12pp

Reading has remained stable at around 62%. Maths has declined from 63% to 51%. Writing has declined from 68% to 56%.

Class Sizes

24.1

Avg class size

25.7

Infant (KS1)

28.7

KS2

20

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Liverpool Central Rail Station
672m · 11 min walk
Liverpool Central Loop Line
672m · 11 min walk

Bus Stops

Roscoe Street (adj)
71m · 1 min walk
Great George Street (adj)
72m · 1 min walk
Upper Duke Street (adj)
83m · 1 min walk
Sankey Street (adj)
101m · 2 min walk
Pilgrim Street (opp)
135m · 2 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

87%

Available places

499 pupils

572 capacity

73 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Liverpool

Low pressure
New homes approved:8,038
Projected new pupils:1,447

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Liverpool

Admissions Demand - Liverpool

Low demand0.92x oversubscription

Places available

5,716

Applications

5,276

Got 1st preference

68.1%

Got preferred school

90.4%

Secondary admissions across Liverpool (2025/26)

Inspection History(4)

2 June 2026
Quality of EducationInadequate
Behaviour & AttitudesInadequate
Personal DevelopmentInadequate
Leadership & ManagementInadequate
Early YearsInadequate
5 June 2025
12 March 2024
Requires ImprovementReport
Quality of EducationGood
Behaviour & AttitudesRequires Improvement
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
Early YearsGood

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

11.05167%

Overall absence

35.81081%

Persistent absence

592

Enrolments

Authorised4.92186%
Unauthorised6.12982%
Persistent (10%+)35.81081%
Severe (50%+)5.23649%

Absence trend

4.86759%
18/19
5.00605%
20/21
7.39265%
21/22
8.13628%
22/23
9.94789%
23/24
11.05167%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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