A FORMER Dudley headteacher who took advantage of a colleague's poor eyesight to give himself a 21 per cent pay rise has been banned from teaching.

David Bishop-Rowe led The Sutton School and Specialist College in Scotts Green Close from 2002 until 2014, when he resigned after a whistleblower triggered an investigation into his conduct.

A report issued by the Teacher Misconduct Panel for the National College for Teaching and Leadership said that the 61-year-old claimed the pay rise, which took him from £91,612.00 to £110,850.52 - was due to his "additional responsibilities" and he tricked a colleague with poor eyesight into signing it off.

The worker said she "didn't know what she was signing" and confirmed that it had not gone before the personnel committee.

Mr Bishop-Rowe was also found to have banked £27,926.75 owed to the school via his company, Education Development Consultancy Limited (EDC) for work he did for the National College for School Leadership (NCSL) - insisting that he assumed the EDC held a separate contract with NCSL.

He also pocketed £8,500 between October 2012 and March 2013 for work he did as an associate at the University of Wolverhampton but he had not sought permission from school governors to carry out private work.

Mr Bishop-Rowe also received £47,000 in additional salary between 2011 and 2013, which was supposed to be a percentage of revenue generated for the school - however the school was not receiving any money.

He also instructed the deputy headteacher to falsify an invoice to include the cost of three supply teachers as part of a compensation claim against a coach company following a school trip; inappropriately received lunchtime duty payment when he had not undertaken sufficient duties and spent £3,999 plus VAT of school funds to buy a Yamaha Clavinova for his personal use.

He reimbursed the school the net cost of the instrument but failed to pay back the VAT.

The report said Mr Bishop-Rowe, who was not at the hearing, had issued an apology for his “unscrupulousness,” adding: “I accept my misconduct and do not seek to deny responsibility.”

The report said the disciplinary panel was "satisfied that the conduct of Mr Bishop-Rowe amounted to misconduct of a serious nature, which fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession."

Alan Meyrick, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, said the Mr Bishop-Rowe was "prohibited from teaching indefinitely", adding: "In view of the seriousness of the allegations found proved against him, I have decided that David Bishop-Rowe shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his ability to teach."