Shamed CEO of scandal-hit Life Wirral school had planned to open another nearby

The boss of a Wirral school facing huge controversy over a BBC investigation had been planning to open a new school nearby in the area.

Alastair Saverimutto, CEO at Life Wirral in Wallasey, has faced strong criticism after a BBC Panorama programme exposed staff making cruel and offensive remarks or appearing to put them in a headlock. In some cases, the staff were shown directly addressing students using homophobic and ableist language.

Footage was also shown of Mr Saverimutto, which appeared to show him telling an undercover reporter he had used a police-style restraint on a child.

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In a statement sent to the BBC, Mr Saverimutto said he “does not condone the behaviour revealed by the programme and five members of staff have been suspended”.

Since the programme aired, New Brighton Rugby Club, which the school CEO was associated with, has severed ties with him. The club said it was "disgusted" by the contents of the Panorama programme.

Now, it has been revealed that Mr Saverimutto had been planning to open a new school in Wirral.

Plans were submitted to Wirral Council in February of this year, with the applicant listed as Mr Alastair Saverimutto (Life Schools LTD), asking for prior approval for permission to change the use of an existing hotel building into a new state funded school.

The hotel in question is the Queens Royal Hotel on Marine Promenade in Wallasey. According to the council's website, the application for the change of use for the building was approved on April 4 of this year.

An application document states: "The Applicant (Life Schools) provide a specialised learning environment that is open to students of all abilities. These include those with special educational needs, disabilities, learning difficulties and neurodevelopment differences. This is an educational sector that is much needed and in desperately short supply."

The permission approved by Wirral Council does not mean that a new school itself had been approved, but that the change of use of the building for such a use had been given the green light.

Mr Saverimutto would need to be granted permission from the Department of Education in order to launch a new school in the building.

The ECHO understands that the plan would involve Life Schools Ltd renting the hotel from its current owner, but that the hotel has now pulled out of any such agreement.

Life Wirral came in for strong criticism following the Panorama investigation. Wirral Council said the revelations were "truly shocking" and "far from the kind of care, support and education these young people deserve and should be receiving."

The council said it "acted immediately" to take all students out of the school setting.

In an initial statement in response to the BBC programme, LIFE Wirral hit out at the corporation, accusing it of acting in a "highly irresponsible manner" and "putting the interests of a television programme ahead of the interests of vulnerable children".

The school accused the undercover reporter of "failing in her basic safeguarding duties to report significant concerns", claiming her actions put more vulnerable children at risk for longer.

Life Wirral has stood by these claims, but has since added to its original statement to offer its apologies to any students and families affected by the behaviour of staff highlighted in the Panorama programme.

A spokesperson said: “LIFE Wirral do not condone the behaviour of a small proportion of staff whose actions were aired on last night’s BBC Panorama programme. We are deeply concerned about our students and their families and would like to apologise to all those affected."

The BBC said in response: “The BBC takes issues of safeguarding and protection of vulnerable individuals extremely seriously and has strict editorial guidelines covering undercover investigations, secret recording and investigations involving children.

"Our investigation was firmly in the public interest and the welfare of the children concerned was our primary consideration. Our undercover reporter gathered evidence over a period of time so we could be confident that what she witnessed demonstrated a clear pattern of behaviour, involving multiple members of staff, and in line with the concerns that had been raised with us.

"Prior to our investigation, the local authority and the school were already aware of safeguarding concerns having previously been made by others, and despite the local authority investigating, this had not resulted in meaningful change."

"In contrast, when we told the local authority about the findings of our investigation, the placements at the school were suspended and new places are being found elsewhere for the children.”

Merseyside Police has also responded to the BBC investigation. A spokesperson for the force said: "We are aware of video footage recorded by an undercover BBC journalist at a school in Wirral."

Life Wirral was contacted for a response to this story.

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