Former headteacher from Educating Manchester speaks out after teaching ban

They can appeal the decision in 2026.

Drew Povey, who was the headteacher at Harrop Fold School in Salford, was praised throughout the show for his kindness and charisma.

However in the second series, Mr Povey resigned following allegations of off-rolling students.

On Wednesday, it was confirmed that Mr Povey, and his brother who was assistant head, have been banned from teaching altogether.

They can apply to have the ban lifted, but they have to wait until the end of October 2026 to do so.

Although the teacher denied the allegations, the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) proved them, and said that the teacher's had 'unacceptable professional conduct'.

Off-rolling pupils is the action of removing pupils from the school register.

Typically these pupils are struggling in school and are removed for the benefit of the school rather than for the student's welfare.

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 or to change attendance data.

“My whole career in education was about supporting kids from tough backgrounds and helping them develop their self-belief and resilience – it was never about results or how data looked. Nor should it ever be and school leaders have a moral responsibility to guard against being drawn down that path.

“Every leader, every teacher, every single person who works in schools has a duty of care to every child, with all their brilliance and all their complexities – and whilst this has been a painful and drawn out process for me personally - they are the only ones who matter in all of this.”

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