A teacher who starred in TV documentary Educating Manchester has been banned from the classroom. Drew Povey was once described as “a breath of fresh air”.
But he has now been struck off after being found to have removed pupils from the register in a bid to manipulate stats – and make the school look like it was performing better than it was.
The headteacher had several character referenceswhichpraised him as kind and charismatic. In the first series of the show, which aired in 2017, he was seen supporting teenagers.
He helped youngsters through their school years, including their GCSEs, and persuaded one teen who planned to leave Harrop Fold School in Salford, Greater Manchester, early, to complete her exams.
The Mirror reports that the second series of the Channel 4 documentary was broadcast in November 2020 and showed Mr Povey resigning as a result of allegations of ‘off-rolling’ students.
The school was placed in special measures by Ofsted. Channel 4 later confirmed that these episodes would not be aired as a result of the findings. Harrop Fold School is now known as The Lowry Academy.
And, on Wednesday, it was confirmed Mr Povey and his brother Ross, who was assistant head, have now been banned from teaching altogether – at schools, colleges, youth accommodation or children’s homes in England.
They can apply to have this ban lifted, but not until October 30, 2026. The off-rolling allegations were proven, although the teacher had denied them. The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) accused the brothers of “unacceptable professional conduct”.
Allegations had surfaced that pupils were being removed from the school register in a practice known as “off-rolling”. A panel found that this removal of students likely improved the school’s performance data, including GCSE results.
Despite denying all allegations, Mr Povey, who resigned in 2018 following his suspension, has now had all charges against him proven by the TRA. This includes failing to maintain accurate records and thereby potentially putting pupils at risk.
His actions were deemed ‘deliberate’. Off-rolling is when pupils are removed from the school register. Off-rolling is a controversial practice. It sometimes sees pupils who may be from a disadvantaged background or struggling in school removed.
It is done for the benefit of the establishment rather than the student’s own welfare. Sometimes parents can feel pressured in to taking their child out of the school.
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