Liverpool Council to sign off on primary school merger plans

Proposals to merge two schools in Tuebrook to create one primary school are to be confirmed next week.

After a lengthy consultation, Liverpool Council will confirm the coming together of the existing St Cecilia’s Catholic infant and junior schools from January 1, 2024. The new voluntary aided school will be run by the Catholic Archdiocese.

The move is to be signed off by the local authority’s cabinet when it meets on Tuesday.

The amalgamation comes following the retirement of Elizabeth van de Waal as headteacher of the infant school after 14 years in post. Philippa Agate, headteacher at the junior school has been leading both sites since March and would become full-time head of the new school

The schools already share a board of governors. As part of the plans, the school would continue to operate from both sites, on Green Lane and Snaefell Avenue, with places for 420 pupils and 52 full-time equivalent places in the nursery class.

All pupils currently at the schools are ensured of a place at the “new” school. The amalgamation plan is the latest school transformation project undertaken by the council following its decision to seek to combine Sudley Infants and Juniors in Aigburth as well as Gilmour Infant and Gilmour Junior School in Garston.

The council’s executive team is also expected to sign off on proposals for further cash towards bolstering its special educational needs (SEND) provision. In a bid to meet “urgent” demand for places, a satellite setting has been established at Millstead School in Everton.

A further location at the former Parklands High School has been used to help support Bank View in Fazakerley while the Palmerston School is being brought back into use for 14-19 year olds. However, all three projects have been hit by overspends of a total of around £1.5m.

A cabinet report detailed how the need for additional mobile accommodation and the requirement from the utility provider for the power supply to be upgraded at Millstead, additional repairs to prevent water ingress and damp at Parklands and upgraded plant equipment at Palmerston have led to the projects going over budget. The document added: “Feedback from families on the work carried out so far has been overwhelmingly positive and schools report that all of the children and young people have settled well in their new schools and are really enjoying their education.”

The council have warned that if the second phase of work for Bank View is not able to be completed, relocating children to independent schools could cost up to £12m.

The plans will be considered by the cabinet at Liverpool Town Hall on Tuesday.

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