Gove's 'magnificent' superhead suspended after IT contract went to his partner's services company

Special adviser to the education minister also suspended

A so-called ‘superhead' once described by education secretary Michael Gove as "magnificent" has been suspended as executive principal of five Hackney primary schools after it emerged that he handed a lucrative IT contract to his partner's firm.

Greg Wallace handed the services contract for his five schools - which were about to become a chain of academies - to C2 Technology, a company headed by Wallace's partner Tony Zangoura.

Governors of the education federation - the Best Start Federation - that managed the schools and contributed to the decision - including Henry de Zoete, who is one of Gove's special advisers in education - have also had their powers suspended.

A council spokesperson said: "The Council has withdrawn financial and staffing powers from the governing body of the Best Start Federation as part of an ongoing investigation."

Zangoura maintains that he and Wallace were not in a relationship in 2009, when the contract was awarded, and has accused the Hackney Learning Trust, via an email to school staff, of "going on a fishing expedition within the schools to find dirt".

"They identified that my company, C2 Technology, was given the vast majority of ICT work and, given the well-known fact that I have a close relationship with Greg, thought there might be a vulnerability there," the email continued.

The National Union of Teachers organised a strike last year after claiming that allowing the five schools to become academies could pose a threat to Hackney's other 48 primary schools, which want to stay under the local education authority.

The five schools have asked the DfE to look into the role of Hackney Learning Trust in the revelations about the C2 contract award, and while the DfE has not yet issued comment, it has confirmed that any intervention decision would not be taken by Gove, but by another minister.