THE SUSPENDED HEADTEACHER OF A SALFORD SCHOOL HAS TODAY QUIT HIS JOB

The popular headteacher of Harrop Fold school in Little Hulton was suspended back in July after allegations of removing "Off-Rolling" children academically performing poorly from the school register in order to skew the schools performance statistics, something Mr Povey strongly denies.

The school was graded as Good by Ofsted after previously being amongst the ranks of some of the worst schools in the country.

Today he announced on his Twitter account that it was 'quitting with a heavy heart' and added that he believes his treatment was the result of a personal vendetta against himself and three other members of staff who are under investigation along side him.

The time has arrived where I can no longer sit quietly under the threat of ‘you cannot comment or you will breach your code of conduct’
I’m speaking up for myself but also all the leaders who have been in touch to say the same happened to them #TakeAStand
Please share everyone pic.twitter.com/KOh2nDsFIo

— Drew Povey (@drewpovey) September 18, 2018

The school which features in the popular Channel 4 "Educating Manchester" tv show was left with £3.5m debt by Salford City Council.

During his tenure at the school, Mr Povey and his team reduced that amount by over a half to just £1.6m and he even contributed £100,000 of his own money from earnings made whilst giving leadership talks thanks to his elevated profile.

Mr Povey hit back at his accusers by using his resignation letter to place blame for the schools previous failings and the huge debt it had amassed squarely at the Councils feet.

With regards the schools progress he said:

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"In my opinion, the biggest barrier to that has been the shocking level of debt that had been allowed to mount up whilst the school was under Salford City Council’s direction (and before I took up my role).

"We have laboured under this debt for nine years, and have been ruthlessly focused on reducing it, so that the school can ensure that despite the often-difficult personal circumstances our pupils face, they have a decent chance of getting the best education possible.

"It is fair to say when I joined Harrop, my understanding was that the debt was effectively a notional figure, and a debt that was recognised by everyone would not be capable of being repaid by the school.

"I have worked tirelessly to reduce the debt from where it originally stood at over £3m to the current level of £1.6m. I have done this through general fundraising, and also through additional paid work in the public and corporate sectors, involving leadership development training."

Mr Povey went on to add that he still remains supportive of the school and also offered to work with them pro-bono at the school for a couple of days per week to help provide a stable hand until a new leadership is chosen,

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"I would like to formally offer my time on a completely pro-bono basis to support the school for one or two days a week over the coming school year, with a view to providing a stable hand during this time of transition, whilst you and the governors, put in place longer term leadership arrangements.

"I appreciate that this is a rather unorthodox offer, but I want to stress my ongoing commitment and willingness to support Harrop."

In summing up his thoughts he went on to say:

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"This feels very much like a personal vendetta and I hope that by removing myself from the situation, that some semblance of normality will return to the school, for the benefit of all."

Mr Povey's resignation will come as an upset to those who support him, a protest was held outside of the school within days of his suspension, with many parents crediting the schools recent success with his leadership.