Ex-Harrop Fold headteacher and Educating Greater Manchester star Drew Povey banned from teaching
by Neal Keeling · Manchester Evening NewsFormer headteacher and Educating Greater Manchester star Drew Povey and his brother have been banned from teaching.
Mr Povey, ex-head at Harrop Fold in Salford, and his brother Ross, who was the assistant head, have been barred from the profession indefinitely - and for at least two years. It comes as the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) accused the pair of 'unacceptable professional conduct' following allegations pupils were being removed from the school register in a practice called 'off-rolling'.
A panel found the removal of these pupils was likely to have a positive effect on the school's performance data, including GCSE results. Mr Povey, who was suspended and later resigned in 2018, denied all the allegations, while his brother 'made no admissions' in relation to the allegations.
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'.
His brother was not found to have caused, permitted or failed to prevent the amendment of pupil attendance data. However, the panel found that all of the other allegations made against the former assistant headteacher were proven.
In two separate TRA prohibition order reports, each relating to Drew and Ross Povey respectively, both stated that: "The panel was satisfied that the conduct of [Mr Povey] amounted to misconduct of a serious nature which fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession. Accordingly, the panel was satisfied that [Mr Povey] was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct."
'Numerous' character references and testimonials, describing Drew as 'kind', a 'breath of fresh air' and an 'exceptional charismatic leader', were considered by the panel. However, at a joint hearing in October, Drew's legal representative accepted on the former headteacher's behalf that he was a 'poor school manager' with the panel finding he had 'very limited knowledge' of requirements.
According to the TRA report, there was 'little evidence that he had taken steps to address this lack of knowledge', leading the panel to conclude his conduct could be repeated. The panel found that Drew and Ross's actions had brought the profession into disrepute.
They have both been prohibited from teaching indefinitely which means they cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, youth accommodation or children's home in England. They may apply for the prohibition order to be lifted, but not until October 30, 2026.