LIPA School Closure Forces Families Off Campus After Threat, Liverpool Echo
Parents and pupils at LIPA School must stay away from the building today, disrupting travel, childcare and planned lessons for families and staff. At 9: 00 a. m. ET on March 9, a bomb threat and a separate threat to cause harm prompted Merseyside Police officers to attend the site, in a letter shared with the Liverpool Echo.
Immediate disruption for LIPA families and staff
The school was forced to close for the day on Monday, March 9, after its headteacher, Claire McKendrick, told parents the site had received both a bomb threat and a threat to cause harm. Officers were seen inside the school this morning as administrators advised families not to enter the building until it was confirmed safe to return; the headteacher apologised for the disruption and said pupil safety guided the decision.
Liverpool Echo: Closure follows media attention and planned permanent shutdown
School leaders said that while many such messages are hoaxes, recent heightened media attention made the threat a “credible risk, ” prompting the closure and police involvement. The closure comes against the backdrop of a decision by the government and the school’s trustees that LIPA School will close permanently this year, after an earlier inadequate Ofsted rating and the school being placed in special measures.
Earlier Merseyside incidents and the Runcorn admission
The current threat arrived after a series of incidents earlier this year in Merseyside: threatening emails were sent to three schools on January 19, 23, and 26, forcing lockdowns at all-girl schools in the region. A Runcorn man, Darren Rigby, admitted sending those emails and pleaded guilty to three counts of sending a communication threatening death or serious harm when he appeared at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on January 30; he was remanded to custody and faces sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court.
Rigby was also charged with possessing an offensive weapon in a private place, namely a baton, and possession of a controlled class B drug, cannabis; recorder Timothy Hannam adjourned the case to allow a pre-sentence psychiatric report to be prepared. Detective Inspector John Black said the force takes such reports seriously and that schools have established procedures to protect pupils and staff.
Still, LIPA families now face immediate logistical consequences: the school said it will email parents about reopening only when it is safe to do so, and advised them to remain away from the premises. For now, pupils and staff will need alternative supervision or remote arrangements for the day.
That state of affairs is layered onto longer-term changes already in motion: the school’s recent placement in special measures, a substantial historical financial deficit from significant overspend, a sharp fall in pupil numbers, and ‘‘inappropriate’’ educational facilities were cited in the decision that the school will close this summer.
What could reverse or accelerate this situation depends on two specific next steps. The sentencing hearing for Darren Rigby is set for June 1 at Liverpool Crown Court; if the pre-sentence psychiatric report is completed as ordered, he will be sentenced on that date. More details on LIPA’s reopening will be emailed to parents when Merseyside Police confirm the building is safe to return.
