Former Hackney superhead Greg Wallace has teaching ban overturned at High Court

‘Superhead’: Greg Wallace was executive principal of Best Start Federation between 2008 and 2013

The High Court has overturned a prohibition order banning former Hackney superhead Greg Wallace from teaching.

The Secretary of State for Education – who at the time was Nicky Morgan – last year slapped an “indefinite prohibition…from teaching in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England” on the former Principal of the Best Start Federation (BSF).

The sanction, which was appealed by Wallace, followed claims of financial misconduct.

Wallace was once described by former education secretary Michael Gove as one of the “magnificent seven” academy superheads, and all of the schools run by him have been celebrated for their improvements.

Judge Mr Justice Holgate found it would be “against the public interest to deprive the profession permanently of a teacher who is held in such high regard”.

In a judgement released on Friday, he stated: “I consider that Mr Wallace should have the opportunity to re-enter the profession in the future, having reflected on his actions.”

Posters in support of the teacher outside a school in Hackney after Greg Wallace was suspended as BSF principal

The judge said he had reached the “clear conclusion” that, instead of the indefinite ban, Morgan should have applied the “less intrusive” measure of having the National College for Teaching and Leadership publish findings of misconduct “with the detrimental effects they are likely to have on the appellant’s [Wallace’s] career”.

This would have meant the “public interest in maintaining the appellant’s exceptional contribution to education” could have been preserved without compromising “public confidence in the teaching profession”.

A court judgement stated that Wallace’s “wrongdoing” had already had a “traumatic impact” on his career.

It added that he had acknowledged his mistakes and had played a role helping to improve failing schools since resigning as principal of BSF in 2013 after being suspended.

“The fact that he has made such a significant contribution since his resignation reinforces the panel’s perception that Mr Wallace is motivated wholly by a desire to improve the educational development of children in challenging areas,” the judgement stated.