Educating Manchester headteacher Drew Povey and assistant headteacher Ross Povey have been banned indefinitely from teaching.

The two brothers, who previously worked at Harrop Fold school (now called The Lowry Academy) in Greater Manchester rose to prominence after their school was featured on the Channel 4 documentary series Educating… back in 2017.

The school’s appearance on the series had been a success, prompting Channel 4 to continue filming for a second series in 2018.

Drew Povey had previously served as headteacher of Harrop Fold school, now called The Lowry Academy (Instagram/drewpovey)

However production would be derailed after Drew resigned from his role as headteacher following allegations of ‘off-rolling’ students – a practice which sees disadvantaged pupils removed from the school roll prior to taking exams in order to protect the school’s reputation – by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA).

The allegations led to Drew resigning from his position as headteacher, with the outcome of a subsequent misconduct hearing now being made public.

According to the report published by the TRA, the allegations brought against both Drew and Ross included ‘failing to maintain and/or ensure that staff maintained accurate records in respect of pupil attendance on one or more occasions’, ’caused and/or permitted and/or failed to prevent the off rolling of one or more pupils’ and ‘failing to protect pupil(s) from the risk of potential harm’.

Drew denied all allegations brought against him while Ross made ‘no admissions of the allegations or as to unacceptable professional conduct’.

Ross was cleared of the allegation he had been amending pupil attendance data, however every other charge against him was upheld.

Both brothers have subsequently been banned from teaching (YouTube/OurStories))

The outcome of the hearing has seen the brothers found to have committed ‘unacceptable professional conduct’. Findings from the panel stated the decision to remove disadvantaged and struggling pupils from the school roll was likely to have had a positive impact on the school’s performance data, which includes GCSE results.

The panel added that both Ross and Drew’s actions had undermined the teaching profession.

Both of the brothers’ TRA prohibition orders added that: “The panel was satisfied that the conduct of [Mr Povey] amounted to misconduct of a serious nature which fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession.

“Accordingly, the panel was satisfied that [Mr Povey] was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.”

The brothers have both been banned from teaching indefinitely, which means they are not allowed to work in any school, sixth form, children’s home or youth accommodation.

However the brothers are eligible to apply for the ruling to be lifted from 30 October, 2026.

Even those who have gone full dad-mode for airport day, watch out, because this minor passport error will ultimately ruin your holiday before you even get there.

For those who don’t know what I’m on about, have you ever seen a dad, or someone who just looks like a dad, at the airport?

They’re about five hours early for their flight, constantly checking their fanny packs for boarding passes and passport possession, all whilst waiting impatiently at the board for the gate to be announced.

Be sure to be checking your passport before jetting off (Peter Titmuss/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

It’s a beautiful sight, really, but even the most prepared father in the world can get this one wrong.

This comes after TikToker Amy Grundy (@amygrundy7_) urged people to double check the state of their passports after a disastrous moment at the airport last year.

When she attempted to hop on board her flight from Manchester to Thailand for the holiday of a lifetime, she was turned away due to the most minor of reasons.

In a video shared on the platform, she explained how she arrived at the airport ready for her flight, but her passport was ‘denied’ due to a rip in one of the inside pages.

TikToker Amy Grundy had an important reminder for airport travellers (TikTok/@amygrundy7_)

It was the page that’s used to collect stamps, you know the one.

She was told to go to Liverpool to get a new passport, but there weren’t any appointment slots available there.

Instead, Grundy had to travel all the way to Glasgow to get a pristine new passport.

“24 hours later, £700 down and crying so much, I got a passport,” she said.

This is all it took for her to be denied travel (TikTok/@amygrundy7_)

If you do have a damaged passport, the government says it won’t issue a new one until it’s satisfied that the owner is a British national who is entitled to a passport, and that they are the person identified in the passport.

“Before we issue a replacement passport, we need to understand how the damage occurred,” the government adds.

“On some passports, how it happened will be obvious and there will be no need to contact the customer, in others the customer must tell us what happened to their passport.”

My British Passport explains that as a blanket rule, ‘damaged or defaced passports are considered invalid and cannot be used for travel purposes.’

Having learned her lesson, Grundy commented: “Don’t travel with a ripped passport guys.”

You’ve been warned: with Christmas almost upon us, make sure you check your passport before heading to the airport for that winter getaway!

Lads across the UK are no doubt tipping their hats in tribute and raising a glass to what once was, as ‘Britain’s biggest man cave’ has now been bulldozed.

Graham Wildin’s pride and joy has now been reduced to rubble following a decade-long legal battle with the council, which all kicked off because he built the 10,000-square-foot sanctuary without getting any planning permission.

The swanky ‘man cave’ – which was situated at the back of his home in Cinderford, Gloucestershire – consisted of a bowling alley, cinema, squash courts, a private casino and bar.

The fact he didn’t seek permission for the extravagant project back in 2014 didn’t sit well with his neighbours or the Forest of Dean District Council, and the accountant was ordered to tear it down.

According to the local authority, they received a complaint from a member of the public regarding the man cave in November 2013, before they warned Wildin that the project would need planning permission.

Several council officers are said to have then told him his extension was ‘not a permitted development’, but he continued with its construction.

Wildin argued that he was able to make amendments to his property due to permitted development rights (PDR), which allow homeowners to make certain changes to their pad without planning permission.

However, the conditions of PDR state this doesn’t apply to buildings higher than four metres.

Graham Wildin went up against the council for ten years to try and save his man cave (SWNS)

In order to try and get around the height restriction, Wildin dug 18 feet into the hillside and insisted the legal loophole meant his construction was lawful.

His clever counterattack didn’t pay off though as the council obtained an injunction against him and Wildin was ordered to take down the extension into his property in 2020, being given 18 weeks to do so.

But, still refusing to go without a fight, the wealthy homeowner refused and instead found himself being given a jail sentence in June 2022 for being in contempt of court and for failing to comply with a court order to decommission the controversial building.

He launched an appeal but ultimately lost, as three High Court judges ruled it was right for him to be jailed.

The appeal was dismissed, and the millionaire was given until 10 March, 2022, to comply with the Order to complete the required work, if he was to avoid prison.

Again, he did not comply with the injunction and was sentenced to six weeks imprisonment in August 2022.

In March 2023, Wildin appealed the prison sentence, which was also dismissed.

The extension boasted a bowling alley, cinema, squash courts, a private casino and bar (SWNS)

The latest deadline for Wildin to comply with the injunction expired in early January 2023.

The businessman later claimed that he sold off the home for £1, adding that he was no longer the legal owner and couldn’t be held liable for changes to the property.

The row over the man cave rumbled on for ten years, and it has all come to an end with Wildin’s hideaway being flattened.

Drone pictures snapped earlier this week show how his luxury creation now resembles a ‘concrete car park’.

And even though that’s not exactly a pretty sight, one local reckons it’s much better than Wildin’s man cave.

“It’s about time,” the resident said. “We get a full view of it from here. Absolutely, I’m happy to see it go.

“I think all the people down at the bottom [of the road] are very happy.”

Now, it looks more like a car park (SWNS)

Wildin declined to comment on the demolition but the full removal brings an end to a lengthy battle to try and preserve the man cave.

Forest of Dean District Council confirmed the demolition was now complete and they would be pursuing costs from Wildin.

A spokesperson said: “The demolition of the building built without planning permission at Meendhurst Road in Cinderford has now been completed, and the demolition and removal team have now left the site.

“It is important to note that the cost of this process should not be borne by the taxpayer, and we are now working to recover the full cost of the demolition from the landowner.

“We would once again like to thank local residents for their patience and understanding during this process.”

After receiving approval to proceed with the demolition, the site was secured on 31 May, 2024, to carry out the work.

A headteacher has defended the haircut policy at his school after a pupil’s skin fade was deemed too ‘extreme’.

Jon Richardson is headteacher of Strood Academy, Kent, and said the haircut policy in the school was supposed to bring ‘equality and focus’.

However, the parents of 15-year-old student Liam have said him being taken out of class and put in a behavioural unit because he has a skin fade is ‘ridiculous’.

His parents have said the pupil has the haircut to cool his head because he has eczema.

Strood Academy’s policy states: “No extreme haircuts. eg: Skin fades, graphics, lines and must be a minimum of grade one cut (senior leadership teams discretion).”

15-year-old Liam got a skin fade haircut and was punished by his school for it. (SWNS)

Liam’s stepfather, builder Barry Sandman, says punishing the 15-year-old for his haircut is ‘unnecessary’ and ‘horrible’.

He said the haircut helped cool Liam’s neck, as his eczema gets worse when his head is hot, and said that the ‘stress’ of being removed from class had also caused it to flare up.

Liam got his latest haircut on 21 September and was in trouble the next Wednesday, 25 September when he was told his haircut didn’t meet the policy.

He got put in a behavioural unit and before his mum went into the school and took him home.

He stayed at home for the last day of that week and got a doctor’s note to inform teachers about his skin condition.

When he got back to school the next Monday (30 September) he was allowed back into lessons as his hair had apparently grown out long enough to fit the rules.

“Something needs to change as Liam shouldn’t be missing out teaching time in his final year of GCSEs for a haircut that looks smart,” Sandman said of his stepson.

“It’s not like he has a mohawk, massively long braids or blue-dyed hair. If he had dreadlocks that were bright pink that would probably be fine.

“It is a sensible haircut. Pretty much every teenager in Medway has a similar haircut. Professionals have similar trims and it would not stop him from getting a job.

“Plus he has his haircut like this as he has suffered from eczema for years and the skin fade keeps his head cool during the autumn and summer months as the heat from wearing a blazer, shirt and coat makes him sweat and irritates his skin.”

The builder said he was planning to submit a formal complaint to the school, and has a meeting with the headteacher coming up.

His family said the haircut helped keep his head cool and avoided his eczema from flaring up, while the school said they wouldn’t be changing their policy. (SWNS)

Richardson said the school’s haircut policy wouldn’t be changing.

He said in a statement: “Strood Academy is committed to maintaining a positive and inclusive learning environment where high standards of behaviour and appearance are upheld.

“These standards are consistently applied across the academy to ensure all students are prepared for learning and that our school community remains focused on achieving the best possible outcomes for every child.

“We are aware of concerns raised by a parent regarding a student who was placed in the academy’s behavioural unit following concerns over the length of his haircut, which did not meet the academy’s uniform policy.

“The academy has a clear and well-established dress code, including guidelines on appropriate hairstyles, which is communicated to parents and students at the beginning of each academic year.

“These guidelines are in place to promote a sense of equality and focus across the academy.

“We are in communication with the parent and have offered a meeting to discuss their concerns in more detail.

“We always take into consideration any specific circumstances, including medical conditions, and seek to work collaboratively with parents to resolve matters.

“At this time, no formal complaint has been lodged, and we continue to engage with the parent to find an appropriate resolution.”