St Austin's Catholic Primary School in Grassendale has become the latest school to push back against the Archdiocese of Liverpool's plans to move more than 200 schools in the region into three large academy trusts. The move follows a tense meeting between concerned parents, school governors, and Archdiocese representatives on Wednesday evening, during which many parents said their questions about educational benefits remained unanswered.
Parents question consultation process
Parents at the meeting told the ECHO they were immediately concerned when informed that a proposed independent chair for the meeting could not be present, with a senior figure from the Archdiocese taking over. That figure was Reverend Canon Michael Fitzsimons, who also sits on the board of the St Joseph Multi-Academy Trust, the trust proposed for St Austin's.
One parent, who asked not to be named, said: "Throughout the 70 minutes of presentations, many parents felt the message was less about consultation and more about implementing a decision that had already effectively been made. The repeated emphasis was that academisation formed part of the Archbishop's vision for Catholic education across Liverpool and the surrounding areas."
Governor independence questioned
A contentious point came during discussions about governors' independence. Parents were told governors remained free to make their own decisions and would not be removed from the board if they voted against the proposal. However, when challenged about what would happen if governors did not support the Archbishop's direction, it was acknowledged that conversations would take place, and they could not answer whether governors would be removed if they still disagreed.
Parents were also told that new and renewing foundation governors would be required to sign a declaration committing them to supporting the mission and strategic direction of the Archbishop. Parents felt this was "contradictory" to any claims of independence for the school's governors.
Educational benefit questioned
Throughout the meeting, parents repeatedly asked what educational benefit St Austin's pupils would receive from academisation. One parent said: "We pointed to existing research showing there is no automatic educational improvement from academy conversion and we argued that many of the services and support being presented as benefits were already available to St Austin's through existing local authority and school partnership arrangements."
The most striking exchange came when Archdiocese representatives cited challenges including declining clergy numbers, recruitment difficulties, falling birth rates, and the long-term sustainability of Catholic education. The "defining moment" came when a long-serving governor addressed the Archdiocese directly, stating they personally felt pressure had been applied in relation to the proposal.
One parent said: "They left many attendees with the impression that support for academisation was expected rather than genuinely optional. The atmosphere in the room noticeably changed following that intervention."
When asked what happens if governors decide not to join the academy trust, the response was effectively "we will cross that bridge when we come to it."
The overall feeling among many parents leaving the meeting was that the consultation had failed to answer the central question: what specific educational benefit will St Austin's children receive from joining St Joseph CMAT that they do not already receive as a successful local authority maintained school? For many attendees, that question remained unanswered at the close of the meeting. The Archdiocese of Liverpool did not respond to a request for comment.
