Educating Greater Manchester concludes tonight, as we get a last glimpse of life at Harrop Fold School in Little Hulton, Salford but will we find out why Mr Povey was suspended?
In the early stages of the first episode, viewers learned about beloved headteacher Drew’s suspension.
But tonight’s instalment will explore the incident in much more detail.
Why was Mr Povey suspended?
The first series of Educating Greater Manchester aired on Channel 4 in 2017.
Mr Povey was an inspirational figure who had helped transform the school since arriving there in 2010.
The headteacher learned of his suspension in late 2018.
At the time, The Manchester Evening News reported that this was due to ‘student coding’ at the school, the process by which pupils’ status and development is recorded.
It added: “It is alleged that records of progress of some students at Harrop Fold High School in Little Hulton had been enhanced.”
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Mr Povey vowed to clear his name, calling the allegations “unfair”. He later added that he was the victim of a ‘personal vendetta’.
Where is Mr Povey now?
He subsequently resigned from his position, to the great sadness of the community.
Despite this, The M.E.N. also revealed that Mr Povey raised over £100,000 for the school last year.
He earned the cash through leadership talks and sales of his book Educating Drew.
Some of the money reduced the school’s debt to Salford Council, leading to a reduction from £3m to £1.5m.
At the time of writing over 1500 people have signed a petition calling for him to return.
He is now working as a consultant within various industries.
What did Channel 4 say about the controversy?
Despite the controversy, the broadcaster felt it was important to air the series.
Speaking today, Channel 4 said: “Now there is enough clarity for us to be able to broadcast the series.”
The rep told Tes: “We want to allow the children that we spent time with to have their stories told. These programmes were filmed in 2018 and are accurate and fair.”
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What happens in tonight’s episode?
Students feel the pressure as GCSE exams start for years 11s.
Meanwhile, new Head Girl Melody begins her first campaign and the girl’s uniform policy is in the firing line.
Fast forward to GCSE results day and not everyone is happy with what they have achieved.
The Channel 4 series finally reveals what was going on behind the headlines, after Harrop Fold hit the news.
Head Teacher Mr Povey and three other staff members face suspension over off-rolling allegations.
Educating Greater Manchester concludes tonight at 9.15pm on Channel 4.