Bharuch, GUJARAT / London, UNITED KINGDOM :

Sir Hamid Patel, also known as Mufti Hamid Patel, has been appointed as Interim Chair of Ofsted Board in the United Kingdom

London :  

Sir Hamid Patel, also known as Mufti Hamid Patel, has been appointed as Interim Chair of Ofsted Board, short for Office for Standards in Education, in the United Kingdom.

The Ofsted Board oversee the curiculum and teaching practices in all British schools. Hamid Patel has been a member of the Ofsted Board since 2019

The Indian origin British educational and thought leader has been appointed as Education Chair in UK following the exit of Dame Christine Ryan.

Mufti Hamid will hold this position until a substantive Chair is appointed, which will take no longer than five months.

Who is Hamid Patel?

Hamid Patel was born and grown up in Britain. His parents hailed from Bharuch in Gujarat and had migrated to Britain about half a century ago, in late 70s. He comes from a family of 5 – three girls and two boys.

Sir Mufti Hamid Patel left school in Blackburn at 16, without himself excelling academically.

A qualifed Mufti and Islamic Scholar, Sir Hamid’s career began as a teacher, though he wanted to become a footballer. In 2010, he became the Chief Executive of Star Academies, formerly known as Tauheedul Education Trust.

Under his leadership, the trust expanded to manage over 34 schools, primarily serving communities in areas with high levels of social deprivation. Many of its schools are rated outstanding by Ofsted and rank high in performance tables.

In 2024, three Star Academy schools were in the top 10 Schools of UK for Progress 8. In 2023, five Star schools were in the top 10 in England for their GCSE performance.

The trust’s Tauheedul Girls’ School in Blackburn was named State Faith Secondary School of the Year 2025 by The Sunday Times.

The Olive School in Bolton ranked sixth highest among primary schools in the North West, while other top-performing schools include The Olive School in Small Heath, The Olive School in Blackburn, and Eden Girls’ Leadership Academy in Birmingham.

While ‘secular’ schools such as Michaela Community School get positive right-wing media coverage, observers have noted that Muslim-run schools — which outnumber other types of schools in the national top ten — fail to get any recognition.

Other Positions Hamid Patel hold

Sir Hamid Patel CBE also served as Vice Chair of the National Institute of Teaching, which promotes standards, innovation, and quality in education.

He is also Chair of the Education Honours Committee and the Confederation of School Trusts driving excellence and collaboration across the sector.

In addition, as an Honorary Professor of Education at Birmingham University, he connects academic research with implementation in schools.

In his early days of career, Sir Hamid also worked with taxi drivers of Asian origin to help them in getting permits and other such work.

Sir Hamid was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (C.B.E.) in 2015 for education services, and he was knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2021.

Hamid Patel’s appointment as Ofsted Board Chair, though interim, is hailed. But, the right wing is fuming.

“We’re very lucky to have Sir Hamid on our board – and we’re grateful he’s stepping into this role. He runs some of the best schools in the country, is a brilliant system leader and a very good man”, Rory Gribbell, Director of Strategy and Engagement at Ofsted, wrote.

[With inputs from Islam Channel and BBC Radio]

source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> United Kingdom / by ummid.com news network / March 17th, 2025