Former Hackney ‘superhead’ banned from teaching for life by Education Secretary

‘Superhead’: Greg Wallace was executive principal of Best Start Federation from 2008 to 2013

A former ‘superhead’ of five Hackney schools has been banned indefinitely from teaching after awarding lucrative contracts to his partner’s firm.

The decision by the Education Secretary Nicky Morgan rides roughshod over advice from a National College for Teaching and Leadership panel.

In 2013 Greg Wallace was suspended and subsequently resigned as Executive Principal of the Best Start Federation amid claims of financial misconduct.

A disciplinary panel has now found that during his five years as executive principal, IT contracts worth at least £1 million were awarded to C2 Technology, which is owned by Wallace’s partner, Tony Zangoura.

Greg Wallace had failed to get written quotations or governors’ approval for any of the contracts.

The popular teacher had also failed to declare a conflict of interest with the company.

Not only was his partner the owner, Wallace had been the company secretary between 1999 and 2004.

Wallace said he had forgotten that he had held that position and had only been responsible for signing some accounts.

But the former executive principal admitted to blind copying Zangoura in to confidential emails from competitors.

However, the panel advised against banning Wallace, who was once described by the former education secretary Michael Gove as one of the “magnificent seven” academy superheads.

But Nicky Morgan has ignored this recommendation, saying that the panel had given “undue weight to the testimonies of the excellent work of Mr Wallace”.

Morgan has banned Wallace from teaching indefinitely in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.