Hamid Patel
Sir Hamid Patel CBE (born March 1979) is a British teacher who is a board member of Ofsted[1] and chief executive of Star Academies, which is one of Britain's best-performing multi-academy trusts.[2]
Personal life
Patel is of British Muslim heritage.[3] He was born in March 1979 in Darwen, Lancashire, to parents who had immigrated from Bharuch in Gujarat, India, in the 1970s. His father worked as an administrator for the local council, while his mother was a housewife. He has three sisters and one brother..[2]
Patel left school at the age of sixteen ( "his grades at GCSE weren't amazing") and later pursued religious studies, training as a mufti. He subsequently earned a master's degree in education from the Open University. He is a Liverpool F.C. supporter.[2]
Career
Early career
Patel began his career in adult education with the local council[2] before transitioning into school leadership as headteacher of Tauheedul Islam Girls' High School in Blackpool. During his tenure, the school received an "Outstanding" rating from Ofsted.[4]
Star Academies
In 2010, Patel founded Tauheedul Education Trust, later renamed Star Academies, and has served as its chief executive since its inception. He oversaw its growth from a single school to a multi-academy trust comprising 36 primary and secondary schools across different regions including Lancashire, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, the West Midlands, and London.[5] The trust has received recognition for its academic outcomes,[6] particularly in schools serving pupils from disadvantaged communities.[4][7][8] Several of its schools have achieved outstanding Ofsted ratings and top positions in national rankings.[7]
In 2018, Star Academies suffered a sophisticated cyber attack, with fraudulent emails purporting to represent the supplier and trust employees, resulting in a fraudulent payment of £77,370.[9]
In 2023, Patel oversaw a partnership between Star Academies and Eton College[10] to establish six selective sixth form colleges. The initiative was intended to increase access to high-quality post-16 education for academically able students from a range of backgrounds.[11][12]
Patel's educational philosophy emphasizes support for children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, with a focus on high expectations and creating environments conducive to academic and personal development. This approach has informed both his leadership and the broader strategy of Star Academies, which has reported positive outcomes for students in areas facing significant socioeconomic challenges.[13][14] Eight of the top twenty achieving schools in 2023 were run by Star Academies.
Educational leadership
Sir Hamid is deputy chair of the National Institute of Teaching,[15] and is the chair for both the Education Honours Committee[16] and the Confederation of School Trusts.[17] The Youth Endowment Fund has Hamid Patel CBE as Chair of its Grants and Evaluation Committee[18][19]and he also holds the position of honorary professor of education at the University of Birmingham.[20][21]
At Star Academies Sir Hamid has maintained a focus on high academic standards while innovating in teaching and learning practices.[22] He has urged school leaders to avoid being “too bureaucratic, too officious” and look to take pressure off their staff rather than pile it on.[23]
Ofsted
Sir Hamid has been serving as a board member since 2019. From March 2025, he took charge as the interim chair of the Ofsted Board[3] until Dame Christine Gilbert was appointed chair in June 2025.[11]
Recognition and honours
In 2015, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to education.[24] This was followed by a knighthood in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 2021.[25]
Trojan Horse scandal
Patel has publicly criticised the official narrative surrounding the 2014 "Trojan Horse" affair in Birmingham, in which Muslim teachers and governors were falsely accused of attempting to impose an Islamist agenda in state schools. He denied that there had been a coordinated takeover plot, instead attributing the situation to a shortage of school governors and a lack of clear guidance on faith and cultural expectations. Patel argued that the broader response to the affair contributed to a perception among some Muslims that openly expressing their faith could lead to suspicion from authorities.[11]
References
- ↑ "Our governance". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 2025-05-25. Retrieved 2025-06-28. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Coles, Mark (30 Dec 2023). Vadon, Richard, ed. "Profile - Sir Mufti Hamid Patel - BBC Sounds". BBC Sounds Radio 4 (Radio). Archived from the original on 2024-03-26. Retrieved 2025-03-16. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ali, Maryam (2025-03-14). "Muslim Council of Britain Welcomes Historic Appointment of Sir Mufti Hamid Patel as Interim Chair of Ofsted | Muslim Council of Britain". Archived from the original on 2025-03-16. Retrieved 2025-03-16. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 Coy, Jonathan. "Statement from HeadteacherChat by Jonathan Coy". headteacherchat.com. Archived from the original on 2025-03-16. Retrieved 2025-03-16. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Who Is Hamid Patel? Religious School Leader Appointed As Ofsted Chairman In UK". Free Press Journal. Archived from the original on 2025-03-15. Retrieved 2025-03-16. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Find an inspection report and registered childcare". reports.ofsted.gov.uk. Ofsted Communications Team. 2023-09-17. Archived from the original on 2025-03-14. Retrieved 2025-03-16. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 "What we know about the academy trust set to take over a Preston school". Lancashire Evening Post. 2024-10-08. Archived from the original on 2024-11-24. Retrieved 2025-03-16. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Watts, Ryan; Woolcock, Nicola (2020-02-11). "Muslim school chief vows to help white working-class boys". The Times. Archived from the original on 2025-06-29. Retrieved 2025-03-16. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Academy trust with five Bradford schools conned out of £77,000 in 'sophisticated cyber attack'". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 2019-01-14. Archived from the original on 2024-02-28. Retrieved 2025-03-16. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "The school that rules Britain". www.bbc.com. 2021-04-14. Archived from the original on 2025-02-13. Retrieved 2025-03-16. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "New Ofsted chair Hamid Patel said 'Trojan Horse' scandal alienated Muslims". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 2025-03-16. Retrieved 2025-03-16. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Simon Henderson ; Hamid Patel. “Our New Academies Will Help Poorer Pupils.” Daily Telegraph (London), Aug. 2023, p. 2. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=8Q2190003274&site=eds-live&scope=site.
- ↑ "The value of a university degree – The Education Hub". educationhub.blog.gov.uk. 2020-02-11. Archived from the original on 2025-01-24. Retrieved 2025-03-16. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Patel, Hamid (2025-01-08). "Why the social role of schools has never been more important | Tes". www.tes.com. Archived from the original on 2025-01-09. Retrieved 2025-03-16. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Our Board of Trustees – The National Institute of Teaching". 2024-12-05. Archived from the original on 5 December 2024. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ "Governance - UK Honours System". 2025-03-16. Archived from the original on 16 March 2025. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ "Our people". cstuk.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2025-03-02. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ "Governor Information". Tauheedul Islam Girls' High School and Sixth Form College (TIGHS) | Part of Star Academies. Archived from the original on 2025-03-14. Retrieved 2025-03-16. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Hamid Patel CBE joins Youth Endowment Fund". Youth Endowment Fund. Archived from the original on 2025-03-14. Retrieved 2025-03-16. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Our people - University of Birmingham". 2024-09-09. Archived from the original on 9 September 2024. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ Gupta, Sakshi (March 15, 2025). "Who Is Hamid Patel? Religious School Leader Appointed As Ofsted Chairman In UK". Free Press Journal. Archived from the original on 2025-03-15. Retrieved 2025-03-16. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Worth, Dan (2023-03-08). "10 questions with the CEO of Star Academies Sir Hamid Patel". TES. Archived from the original on 2023-03-08. Retrieved 2025-03-17. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Robertson, Alix (2018-10-11). "Leaders should lift admin burden off staff, says academy trust boss". schoolsweek.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2025-01-14. Retrieved 2025-03-16. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Queen's Birthday Honours 2015: education and children's services". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 2024-06-21. Retrieved 2025-03-16. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Head of academy trust with schools in Bradford awarded knighthood". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 2021-06-13. Archived from the original on 2021-08-03. Retrieved 2025-03-16. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
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