Grammar school row with union sees police called

The Liverpool Blue Coat School is a selective grammar school with academy status, and was founded in 1708

Police were called to a grammar school over reports of a disturbance between school leaders and union officials.

Staff at The Blue Coat School in Liverpool met with National Education Union (NEU) members on Wednesday to discuss proposed industrial action.

But the meeting ended with a visit from police after allegations of aggressive behaviour and claims of an assault by a senior school leader.

The school has denied the allegations.

The dispute comes after members of NEU at the school voted by 93% to back industrial action over concerns about transparency, accountability, and leadership.

Merseyside Police officers called to the school at 11:25 GMT following a report of a man "refusing to leave the school" and "raised voices".

Peter Middleman, regional secretary for the NEU, said complaints have been filed with police, including allegations of assault made against representatives of the school management.

Merseyside Police told BBC News it had been unable to find a record of an assault complaint.

A Blue Coat spokesman said it "strongly refuted" the suggestion a senior member of the leadership team assaulted anyone.

The trade dispute remains unresolved and the NEU said management representatives were "in no way serious" to help resolve it, with the meeting ending "abruptly."

In a response to members, Mr Middleman said: "Subsequent events are now subject of complaints filed with the Merseyside Police, including allegations of assault made against representatives of the school management.

"It is vital we do not allow ourselves to be either distracted or provoked in ways which detract from your pursuit of legitimate aims to win reforms which provide all members with a safe, happy, and fulfilling workplace in which to discharge your obligations to students and the wider community."

A spokesman for the school said the senior leaders "genuinely" wanted to find a resolution to the issues raised.

They added: "It is with huge sadness that this meeting did not go as we hoped or planned.

"The school was left in a very difficult position as there were points where the safety of our students and the smooth running of our school were brought into question by the actions of the representative from the NEU."

The school said it "dealt" with this in line with normal protocols but "unfortunately had to call the police".

A ballot amongst members for strike action opened shortly after the meeting, and will run until 26 April.

The NEU said it remained "focused on addressing the operational and cultural problems at the school".

A representative from The Blue Coat said they would like to sit down with NEU members again after the Easter break.