‘Set up to fail’: Inside the £1.5m collapse of LIPA School

Dear readers — Welcome to a somewhat belated weekly edition. We promise it’s worth the wait. Today’s briefing has almost everything — internecine Christian feuds, thwarted far-right protests, Wirral authority rows, free gym memberships and the case of a missing Liverpool councillor. What more could you want?

If you answered “a deep dive into the demise of LIPA School, please,” then ask no more: Abi’s stunning story delves into the multi-year chaos at the institution, its financial ruin, and the crucial perspective of those affected: teachers, parents and children. If you’re eager to read behind-the-scenes gossip or just find out the real human stories at the heart of this scandal, this is the pre-eminent article on LIPA School’s closing. 

So without further ado, here’s your regularly scheduled Post briefing.

Your Post briefing

A planned “Christian nationalist” march has been denounced by the Archdiocese of Liverpool. The “Stand for Christ in Liverpool during Lent” demonstration, planned for later this month, is due to proceed from the steps of Cathedral House on Mount Pleasant. But the Dean of the Metropolitan Cathedral — the seat of the Catholic Archdiocese — has issued a statement stating the cathedral has not given permission for the piazza to be used and that “there is no place for prejudice, racism or bigotry” in the Church. The march has been organised by UKIP and promoted by their leader Nick Tenconi, who has moved the party further to the right since he assumed leadership a year ago. Last August, another attempted UKIP march through Liverpool was blocked by anti-fascist activists and prevented from progressing beyond the piazza outside St George’s Hall. 

Reform councillors chill while Wirral rows — A hot-tempered Wirral Council meeting this week resulted in the beleaguered local authority voting to increase council tax by the maximum 4.99%. The key budget vote, attended by Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Green and Your Party councillors, descended into a row when Wirral mayor Brian Kenny announced the meeting was due to wrap up in several minutes with other members then asking for an extension. With the exception of Your Party councillor Richie Pitt, all councillors present voted for the near-5% council tax increase. Reform councillors Katherine and Andrew Hodson — who you may remember from our interview last month — were not able to attend due to a pre-booked holiday in Tenerife; the vote was originally scheduled for last week. 

Where oh where is Colette Goulding? — Speaking of budget meetings, Liverpool Council also met to confirm their budget on Wednesday night. Had it been an opening night at the Empire, the show would be cancelled already. “Who is it for?” lamented Local Democracy reporter David Humphreys on X about the “rum” and “childish” references by speakers, while Orrell Park councillor Alan Gibbons called the event “a stale and suffocating farce.” Among items of note was a free gym membership for under-18s to help tackle the city's obesity crisis. “We need to make sure our children are leading healthier lives,” said Harry Doyle, the council's cabinet member for health, wellbeing and culture. But conspicuous by her absence was Colette Goulding, the councillor suspended from the Liverpool Labour Party following The Post’s investigations into Big Help Project and Knowsley Foodbank. Goulding now must attend the next council meeting or face disqualification as a councillor.

Inside the £1.5m collapse of LIPA School

It was business as usual when Glenn Maguire dropped his nine-year-old daughter off at LIPA School last Friday. As a single dad living in Formby, he regularly makes the 11-mile trip to take her to the school gates in Liverpool.

After waving her goodbye, he began his drive home. Travelling along Crosby Road South, he felt his phone buzz. Then again — and again. Maguire waited until he pulled into his driveway to check what the commotion was about. The normally quiet WhatsApp group chat for LIPA School parents was exploding with notifications. He clicked through and skimmed the messages, pausing in disbelief. The school was… closing?

‘There must be a mistake,’ Maguire thought, opening his emails. But there it was: confirmation from the school itself. At the end of the summer term, LIPA’s primary and secondary school would shut its doors for good. 

Panic set in. Maguire had scrolled past countless articles about dwindling school places in Liverpool in recent months. His daughter is resilient — “she’s nine going on 39,” Maguire laughs — but has years-long friendships built at LIPA School. Separation would be a devastating blow. 

Maguire is one of hundreds of parents whose children make up the nearly 600 primary and secondary students attending LIPA School. The school was set up in 2014, using the same name as Paul McCartney’s award-winning LIPA College, despite no formal affiliation. Its fortunes were bumpy from the off. 

In the words of one ex-staffer, LIPA School has been “set up to fail” — run as a “vanity project” for board members who failed to prioritise financial stability, according to another source close to the school’s management. “It’s devastating that it’s come to this,” the ex-staffer says. In short, LIPA School has reached the end of the financial road. 

Back in 2024, The Post reported on problems plaguing LIPA Multi Academy Trust (LIPA MAT) — the organisation that runs both LIPA School and its associated sixth-form. These included allegations of a headteacher who signed business deals with a company sponsoring his daughter’s sports team, and a music organisation accusing LIPA MAT of owing them £20,000 for lessons provided to students. 

Now, we can reveal the true extent of the mismanagement that saw LIPA MAT recording a deficit of £1.5 million in 2024. These include hiring taxis to carry school dinners between premises, spending over £400,000 on supply teachers and allegations of absent board members that prioritised meeting Paul McCartney over supporting the schools through brutal Ofsted inspections.

While LIPA MAT has yet to file its 2025 accounts, financial records show in the school year 2023-24, it ran a deficit of £1.5 million. Three months after those results were published, the Department for Education (DofE) threatened to report the school to the Insolvency Service if they could not balance their books.

The Post approached LIPA MAT about all the allegations in today’s story. Despite opening our emails, they did not respond to our multiple requests for comment.