Educating Greater Manchester's Drew Povey and his brother banned from teaching

Drew Povey, former headteacher and star of Educating Greater Manchester, along with his brother Ross, have been indefinitely banned from teaching. The ex-head at Harrop Fold in Salford and his assistant head brother have been prohibited from the profession for a minimum of two years.

This follows accusations by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) of 'unacceptable professional conduct', alleging that students were being removed from the school register in a practice known as 'off-rolling'. A panel concluded that this removal was likely to positively impact the school's performance data, including GCSE results.

Mr Povey, who was suspended and later resigned in 2018, denied all allegations, while his brother did not admit to any of the charges. Following his resignation, parents at the now renamed Lowry Academy pledged to fight for Drew's reinstatement.

At the time, the former head acknowledged 'administrative errors' involving a few students but claimed he was the victim of a 'personal vendetta'. The TRA has now deemed all allegations against him, including failing to maintain accurate records and thereby potentially endangering students, as 'proven'.

The panel also determined his actions were 'deliberate', reports the Manchester Evening News. The panel did not find his brother culpable for causing, permitting, or failing to prevent the alteration of pupil attendance records. However, it was established that the former assistant headteacher was responsible for all other charges levelled against him.

According to two separate TRA prohibition order reports concerning Drew and Ross Povey, both stated: "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."

Despite 'numerous' character references and testimonials praising Drew as 'kind', a 'breath of fresh air', and an 'exceptional charismatic leader', the panel took into account during an October joint hearing that Drew's legal representative acknowledged his client was a 'poor school manager' with 'very limited knowledge' of necessary requirements. The TRA report noted a lack of evidence that he had attempted to rectify this deficiency, leading to concerns that his behaviour could recur.

Consequently, the panel concluded that the actions of both Drew and Ross had damaged the reputation of the teaching profession.

Both individuals have been indefinitely banned from teaching, which means they are not allowed to teach in any school, sixth form college, youth accommodation or children's home in England. They can apply for the prohibition order to be lifted, but not until October 30, 2026.