“I Never Wanted to be on TV” – Educating Greater Manchester’s Drew Povey Talks about Leadership and Positive Publicity
"We all have to be in the mixing pot together, and we are a genuine, community school"
TS: How would you sum up Harrop Fold as a school? It’s by far the most exhausting place you could be in; it will literally bring you to your knees.
At the same time, it’s also the most exhilarating team and organisation I’ve ever been involved with – I’m talking about the kids, the staff, the local community, everyone.
It’s so easy to say, as a teacher, that you won’t venture outside the school gates. But when you look at what is happening right across the country, with the cuts and the impact on people’s lives, you have to remember that schools are there for the communities they serve.
We all have to be in the mixing pot together, and we are a genuine, community school.
And what kind of a leader do you think you are? I refer to myself as a ‘high touch’ leader; I want to be in and amongst the team, working with them, listening to their views and making decisions together.
I do try to delegate – I won’t ever ask people to do something I wouldn’t do myself, but at the same time, I recognise that I’m surrounded by people with better, wider, stronger skill sets than mine.
I’m just one cog in the machine – and a small one, at that. If we work together, we can, and will, achieve great things.
What’s it really like working with your brothers? It’s brilliant. Honestly. It’s a great team here, all the staff are just fantastic. There’s a family dynamic anyway, and working with my two brothers just feels like a natural part of that.
They are both so talented, and I am extremely proud of them. And we get on ridiculously well inside school and out of it – we’re like the Von Trapps of education!
How easy was it to persuade everyone to invite TV cameras into Harrop Fold? Basically, I’m not a leader who is going to tell everyone they have to do things my way; so actually, I didn’t offer my views at all. I presented the staff and kids with all the information, the possible pitfalls, how it could look in best and worst case scenarios.
We had people in from the production team, and other schools that had been featured in the past. I asked everyone to go away, think about it and talk it over. Then we had a vote: and over 90% were in favour of taking part.
And mostly, that was because they felt that the school – their school – had been unfairly talked down in the past. They’re proud of Harrop Fold, and wanted to share that pride. I never wanted to be on TV (why is it that I always look so surprised?) – but I’ll do anything for this place.
What do you hope the long term legacy of the programme will be? Harrop Fold will never be the same again, I know that. The school, and the community, have had a spotlight shone on them, and they’ve come out shining. It’s brought pride to young people in this area; it’s already raised aspiration levels beyond belief.
And more prosaically, it’s enabled me to chip away some more at the £1.7m debt that our school has been saddled with through no fault of our own. An hour’s talk for a big corporation can earn enough to pay for three teachers for a month. That’s crazy, if you ask me – but while it’s there, we’ll take it.
Drew’s Quick 6
What were your favourite subjects at school? PE and RE – I used to be known as ‘the rugby playing monk’.
School dinners or packed lunch? Packed lunch; I like being able to control my nutrients.
Name something you are really looking forward to at the moment? Sharing our leadership learning with various organisations – including the police and the NHS – over the next 12 months.
What are you most afraid of? Spiders. People say they’re harmless – and yes, they are at the moment. But any minute now a hybrid spider could emerge that’s capable of breaking through human skin…
Who is your hero? There are too many to mention; but I find my own family – my three boys and brilliant wife – inspiring. And people who go the extra mile.
Who would play you in the movie of your life? Well, according to my esteemed colleagues it could be Tom Cruise, Adam Sandler, Gareth Southgate – or Sandi Toksvig.
