Matthew Hargreaves was immediately suspended from his role as principal at King’s Northway Primary Academy following his arrest
14:55, 01 Jul 2026Updated 16:45, 01 Jul 2026
Matthew Hargreaves, principal at King’s Northway Primary Academy, has been charged with alleged child indecent image offences
The principal of a Liverpool primary school has been charged with child indecent image offences. Matthew Hargreaves, who was the principal at King’s Northway Primary Academy in Wavertree, was arrested and has now been charged with three counts of making indecent images of children and a single count of taking indecent images of children.
Shane Ierston, chief executive of Great Schools Trust, which includes King’s Northway Primary, told the ECHO: “As soon as we learned of Matthew Hargreaves’s arrest earlier this year, he was suspended from his role at King’s Northway Primary Academy.
“Since then, we have been liaising with the relevant authorities. The offences do not relate to his employment at the school and, as the matter is subject to ongoing court proceedings, it would be inappropriate to make any further comment. The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our main priority, and we are offering any support they may need at this difficult time.”
Merseyside Police confirmed Hargreaves, 47, and of Deepdale Avenue in Rochdale, had been charged with making category A indecent images of children, making category B indecent images of children, and making category C indecent images of children. He is further charged with category C taking indecent images of children.
The charge of making an indecent image of children is not limited to physically taking a photograph and extends to downloading or saving an image or opening an email attachment. It carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment. The nature of the allegations against Hargreaves have not been specified at this time.
A police spokesperson told the ECHO: “Hargreaves remains in custody awaiting his next court appearance. Our specialist online child abuse investigations team continues to progress extensive and thorough enquiries into this matter.
“We are working with partner agencies to ensure all necessary safeguarding measures are taken. Please note that a live investigation is ongoing and people are reminded to refrain from publishing any information on social media platforms which may impact on the investigation.”
A letter written by acting principal, Mark Newton, was sent out by the school today, Wednesday, informing parents and carers of the recent developments.
In the letter, seen by the ECHO, Mr Newton wrote: “As soon as we were informed of his arrest several weeks ago by police colleagues, he was immediately suspended from his role as principal as part of robust local authority and Great Schools Trust safeguarding procedures.”
The acting principal repeatedly reiterated “that as difficult as this news is that these charges do not involve students at King’s Northway Primary Academy”.
The letter continued: “As the matter is subject to ongoing police and court proceedings, it would not be appropriate for us to comment further at this time but please rest assured we are helping police with their investigation.
“Please note that a live investigation is ongoing and people are reminded to refrain from publishing any information on social media platforms which may impact on the investigation. This includes the publication of any names, photographs or personal details.
“We understand that this news is concerning. Please be assured that the safety and wellbeing of our pupils remain our highest priority. During this time, we are making support available to any members of our school community who may need it.”
Hargreaves has deleted his Linkedin page which detailed his history of employment. However, the ECHO understands he had been principal at the school since 2019.
King’s Northway Primary Academy has also removed all references of Hargreaves from its website, newsletters and social media. However, the ECHO found an archived image of Hargreaves and multiple parents at the school confirmed his identity.
King’s Northway Primary Academy caters to children aged three to 11 and has an enrolment of around 420 pupils. The school has not been graded by Ofsted since becoming an academy, but under its previous name was graded as requiring improvement.
The ECHO has also approached the Crown Prosecution Service and Liverpool City Council.
A police spokesperson added: “If you have been affected by sexual violence of any kind don’t be afraid to tell someone, find the courage to come forward and get the help you deserve.”