Parents fear failing school is creating a 'lost generation' | The famous faces coming together to save Zoe's Place baby hospice

By Dan Haygarth

Hello,

Today’s Liverpool Daily Post brings you a long read from Local Democracy Reporter Elliot Jessett, who has spoken to parents at a secondary school in Crosby who fear a 'lost generation' of students after numerous issues were raised in a scathing Ofsted report.

Elsewhere, a host of famous faces from Merseyside and beyond have come together to back the campaign to save Zoe’s Place and water provider United Utilities has been slapped down by the Information Commissioner over transparency failings.

Thanks for reading.

Parents fear failing school is creating a 'lost generation'

Parents at a secondary school in Crosby fear a 'lost generation' of students after numerous issues were raised in a scathing Ofsted report. As a result, the ECHO has been contacted by a number of concerned parents who feel St Michael's has consistently failed children in their care, reports Elliot Jessett.

Last month, St Michael's Church of England High School in Crosby received the lowest possible rating by Ofsted after pupils were found to be "playing catch up" and "unprepared for the future". Inspectors identified numerous shortcomings including concerns about St Michael's provision for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The school was praised for being able to accurately identify SEND needs, but the report is critical of St Michael's failure to check whether these needs are being met.

As a result of the 'inadequate' Ofsted rating, the Department for Education (DfE) issued a Termination Warning Notice to the Liverpool Diocesan Schools Trust (LDST), which currently runs the Crosby school. The ECHO understands the Diocese has agreed with the DfE to transfer the school to another academy trust, although nothing has been confirmed at the time of writing.

Furthermore, the Trust said they have implemented new policies and new leadership and the ECHO understands the new headteacher, who took over in April, is delivering significant improvements - a view shared by the parents we spoke to, a spokesperson for LDST and St Michael’s said: "Our new Executive Headteacher has implemented positive changes to create a supportive and high-expectation environment for all.

"We have enhanced our behaviour management strategy, in consultation with the unions, to create a fair, safe, and respectful environment. We hold high expectations for all students, and are committed to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to succeed.

"We improved our support for SEND pupils. We ensure EHCPs are carefully followed and aim to meet the unique needs of each child. We have increased staff training to ensure they’re well-equipped to create an inclusive, understanding environment."

Jenny Cooper placed her child in St Michael's after being told it was a good place for SEND provision. Her child had experienced some learning challenges and was subsequently diagnosed with autism and is now on an assessment pathway for ADHD. They’re also applying for an educational health care plan (EHCP) which Jenny hopes will help her child get the support they need.

Jenny describes how things started to go wrong at St Michael's. She said: "After year 7, it was a really negative experience [for my child]. They hated it because there was nothing for them to do and they ended up totally lost.

"In the mornings all I hear is 'I don't want to go to that place, they don't help me'. I look in my child's face sometimes, and they just look scared, like a rabbit in headlights. I dread it every single day.

"I started to get really concerned and asked the school 'why are you not helping my child?' because they don't know what they should be doing at any time during the school day.

Jenny describes the catch 22 she finds with her child and the school and believes their autism is not managed appropriately and symptoms are defined as 'bad behaviour', she added: "It has ruined their self esteem. It's taken away what little confidence they had."

Asked about her feelings about how St Michael's manages children with special educational needs and disabilities, Jenny said: "I think it's atrocious. Nobody seems to know what to do with kids like mine."

To read the full article, click here.

The famous faces coming together to save Zoe's Place baby hospice

A host of famous faces from Liverpool and beyond have come together in a bid to save Zoe's Place baby hospice.

Last week, shocked staff and families were told that Zoe's Place, a baby hospice in West Derby, would be closing its doors for good before the end of the year. The much-loved facility has provided palliative and end-of-life care for babies and infants since it was opened in Yew Tree Lane in 1995.

With its lease on the current site up next year, Zoe's Place has been looking for a new home but said it has run out of time and money. However, a city-wide campaign is now providing a glimmer of hope.

The charity needs to raise a huge £5m in the next month to fund a new home and the city of Liverpool has been pulling out all the stops to try and achieve this. We have seen comedy gigs organised, businesses giving up their takings and a huge range of individual sponsored events held to try and help with the huge fundraising challenge.

The campaign to save Zoe's Place has also received the backing of many famous faces from this city and region and around the country. Today the ECHO has produced a special video collating the many messages we have received from well-known figures, offering their support for the campaign.

Those sending their support include Liverpool legends Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and John Aldridge and former Everton stars Peter Reid and Michael Ball.

There is political support from West Derby Ian Byrne, who is spearheading the campaign, as well as fellow city MP Kim Johnson and other prominent Labour MPs from around the country like Dawn Butler and John McDonnell, who added a musical flourish to his supportive message.

From the world of music we heard messages from Peter Hooton of The Farm and Ryan McNee of The Sway as well as Scouse legend Claire Sweeney from the acting world. Even The Queen of Scotty Road is getting involved. The founders of Liverpool clothing brand Montirex - Daniel Yuen and Keiran Riddell-Austin - urged other businesses to follow their lead after they made an enormous £100,000 donation to the campaign.

To watch the video, click here.

Information Commissioner slaps down United Utilities over transparency failings

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has slapped down the North West's water provider for failing to properly handle requests for important environmental information from the public, reports Liam Thorp.

Liam Thorp reports that United Utilities has been hit with a practice recommendation by the ICO, the UK's regulator for data protection and information rights. Water companies have a legal obligation to make information about the environment available under the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR), both proactively and if requested by the public.

Following numerous complaints about its lack of transparency, the ICO has ordered United Utilities, which serves the North West, to urgently improve its handling of EIR requests. The ICO’s investigation found that United Utilities has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for information within the legal timeframe of 20 working days.

Following the complaints, the ICO also found that the water company often refuses to respond to requests because they claim that the information being requested isn’t environmental. The ICO has now instructed United Utilities to take a much broader interpretation of environmental information in line with decisions made by the commissioner, and ensure it properly handles legitimate EIR requests.

The practice recommendation outlines further steps for United Utilities to take to improve its compliance, including proactively publishing information that is frequently requested and training its staff to handle requests appropriately.

Warren Seddon, director of FOI at the ICO, said: “Any information that would enlighten the public about how United Utilities operates and the impact it has on the environment is, by its very nature, likely environmental – this includes data on sewage spills and the performance of its wastewater treatment works. By using such a narrow interpretation of environmental information, United Utilities is deliberately ignoring the bigger picture to avoid their legal obligations to even consider whether to release the information people are legitimately asking for.”

Earlier this year, the UK Information Commissioner John Edwards wrote to 12 water companies, calling on them to put transparency first to rebuild public confidence in the sector. This followed ongoing concerns about sewage pollution and the lack of information made readily available.

Mr Seddon added: "Our message to water companies is simple – we expect transparency to be your default position. It is unacceptable to keep people in the dark when they have no choice but to rely on these firms for clean water. By issuing our first practice recommendation under the EIR, we are holding United Utilities accountable for improving how it communicates with the public.

“I urge all water companies to also take heed of our recommendations and build a culture where people receive timely responses to their requests and relevant information is published proactively. Being as open as possible about your activities will go a long way towards rebuilding public trust.”

Failure to comply with a practice recommendation may lead to further enforcement action if an organisation is still not complying with the law. United Utilities is expected to respond to the ICO by February 2025 to confirm how it has complied with the practice recommendation, as well as publishing its action plan on its website.

Water companies must release environmental information under the EIR. As the law stands, they are not legally obliged to release non-environmental information under the Freedom of Information Act.

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