Ex-headteacher from Educating Greater Manchester Drew Povey speaks out after teaching ban

The former headteacher from Educating Greater Manchester has spoken out after he and his brother were banned from teaching.

Drew Povey, who featured in the TV series as the headteacher of Harrop Fold in Salford, said he is 'deeply disappointed' by the decision to ban him from teaching for at least two years. It comes after the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) found him and his brother Ross, who was his deputy, guilty of 'unacceptable professional conduct', prohibiting them from teaching indefinitely.

The pair were accused of removing three pupils from the school register in a practice called 'off-rolling'. After a hearing last month, a panel found the removal of these pupils was likely to have a positive effect on the school's performance data, including GCSE results.

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After his resignation, parents at the school - now called The Lowry Academy - vowed to fight for Drew to be reinstated. At the time, the former head admitted to 'administrative errors' involving a few students, but claimed he was the victim of a 'personal vendetta'.

The TRA has now found all the allegations put to him, including that he failed to ensure accurate records were maintained and, in doing so, failed to protect pupils from the risk of potential harm, to be 'proven'. A panel also concluded his actions were 'deliberate'.

Responding to the ruling by the TRA, Mr Povey said: “I am deeply saddened by this decision and the TRA panel’s conclusion.

“As I’ve said countless times, where administrative mistakes were made on my watch, I take full responsibility. But I will never accept that I was involved in any deliberate plan to off-roll