A former academy “superhead” who was banned from teaching for unprofessional conduct after receiving a second salary has now been barred from managing any independent school, academy or free school.
The direction from the education secretary also bars Liam Nolan from serving as a governor in a maintained school.
The decision was taken on 27 July this year and published by the Department for Education today.
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Mr Nolan had been the head of the now-defunct Perry Beeches Academy Trust.
Two years ago, he was found guilty of unprofessional conduct for receiving a “second salary” while head of the now-defunct Perry Beeches Academy Trust.
He was banned from teaching but could ask for this to be reviewed in two years time - later this year.
A 2016 investigation by the Education Funding Authority revealed the Perry Beeches Academy trust had paid almost £1.3 million to Nexus Schools Ltd without following proper procedures.
Nexus then paid Mr Nolan £160,000 over two years through his company, Liam Nolan Ltd, which he received on top of his £120,000 annual salary.
A report into this matter by the Teaching Regulation Agency found Mr Nolan guilty of a number of allegations, including not being paid through payroll with no “exceptional temporary circumstances” to justify this, and failing to ensure the payments were disclosed in the trust’s financial statements.
The report added that Mr Nolan had signed a statement in the trust’s 2013-14 accounts stating that “no instances of material irregularity, impropriety or funding non-compliance had been discovered”, when in fact he “knew or ought to have known that this was not the case”.
The direction published today by the DfE says that: “The secretary of state found that Liam Nolan had: engaged in conduct that has been found to be in breach of professional standards by a professional body and that because of that conduct he was unsuitable to take part in the management of an independent school (including an academy or free school).
“The barring decision also has the effect of disqualifying the person from being a governor at a maintained school.”
Mr Nolan is one of two former headteachers involved in financial irregularity who have now been barred from management roles in independent schools.
The government has also taken action to prevent Thomas Marshall, the former head of Baverstock School, in Birmingham, from a role in the management of independent schools, free schools or academies.
He was banned from teaching for at least two years for improperly awarding contracts, including to a firm run by his mother.
He was recommended to be prohibited from teaching by a professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency last year.
But the agency decided mitigating factors meant he should be allowed after two years to apply to have this sanction lifted.
