What is 'off-rolling'? Educating Manchester head Drew Povey's indefinite teaching ban explained

Drew Povey, who featured on hit TV series Educating Greater Manchester, and his brother Ross Povey have been banned from teaching after an investigation by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA)

He was the former headteacher of Harrop Fold school in Salford, but he has now been banned from teaching.

Drew Povey was a favourite among fans of TV show Educating Manchester, but now he has been accused of "unacceptable professional behaviour". His brother, Ross Povey, who was the school's assistant head, has also been struck off, with the pair indefinitely banned from teaching. The school is now called The Lowry Academy.

Their punishment comes following an investigation that was led by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA). The siblings were accused of a practice known as "off-rolling". But what is off-rolling? 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 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.

Typically, off-rolling is practiced by under-performing schools who are looking to improve their exam results. According to Ofsted guidelines, concerns regarding potential off-rolling are monitored by the amount of pupils in Year 10 and 11 leaving the school prior to taking their exams. While off-rolling isn't always illegal, it's not a practice that is encouraged.

A panel found that this removal of students at Drew's former workplace 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'.

Drew received a number of character references which praised his leadership skills. Among them, he was praised as 'kind', a 'breath of fresh air', and an 'exceptional charismatic leader'. However, during a hearing in October, it emerged that his counsel conceded he was a 'poor school manager' with 'very limited knowledge' of necessary administrative rigour, raising concerns about a potential repeat of his actions.

Both brothers' actions were found by the panel to have undermined the integrity of their profession. They have both since been indefinitely banned from teaching in England. While they can apply to have this ban lifted, they are not able to do so until October 30, 2026.

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