A major Liverpool school that was facing closure has been saved.
Staff and students at De La Salle Academy in Croxteth are celebrating today following the news that their school has secured its future.
Last summer, it was announced that the Academy, which has served the community for almost 100 years, c ould be facing closure due to the Termination Warning Notice it received from the Department for Education.
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This worrying news sparked a campaign from staff, students, governors and parents to save the famous school - and those efforts appear to have paid off.
De La Salle Academy is set to start a new chapter as it joins Dixons Academy Trust, a multi-academy trust of 15 schools across the North West.
Dixons is a trust that specialises in challenging educational and social disadvantage in the north and for educational improvement.
Responding to the news today, Ali Freeman, who is the Principal at De La Salle Academy, said: “This journey has been well over a year for me and the reason why I agreed to take up post of principal.
"The team has worked really hard to put in place the changes asked of them to turn the school around, I am only too pleased that the DfE have recognised that.
"This is a chapter in the history of the school that now closes, the work to improve will continue in earnest.
"I am looking forward, along with the rest of the staff body and students, to bringing the vision alive with Dixon’s Academy trust.
"These are exciting times and I am proud to be part of it.
“I want to thank our wonderful staff, students, parents and the community of De La Salle for their resilience and faith during what has been a very difficult year.”
Liverpool Councillor for Croxteth, Anthony Lavelle, became Chair of Governors at De La Salle when news of the potential closure was announced.
He said: “I am delighted that our collective efforts to keep De La Salle open have paid off, the many sleepless nights worrying about the effect the closure would have on the student’s education and the staff’s future careers has been worth it.
"Since we received the notice, I have been clear about our intentions from the start that we wanted to maintain continuity of education, and the wellbeing of our students and staff has been at the heart of the fight to keep the school open.
“When I was still at school, I had to go through the daunting experience of my secondary school being forced to close, I know just how intimidating an experience this is for pupils, parents and staff. Moving schools is an extremely unsettling experience and I am thrilled that we have been successful in our fight to make sure the students at De La Salle do not have to suffer from the same experience.
“I know that the staff and pupils at De La Salle know what needs to be done to continue to keep improving and making progress. De La Salle has been at the heart of Croxteth for nearly a century. I am hopeful that our efforts mean it will continue to serve us for many, many years to come."
Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne, who has campaigned for the school to stay open, said: "It was Wonderful to receive a call today from government officials confirming De La Salle Academy stays open. I’d like to Thank all involved in the campaign to keep the school open.
"I’m extremely proud that as the MP for West Derby the political & community fight was successful."
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