Ofsted has appointed the former head of a religious school as its chairman in what is believed to be a first for the education watchdog.
Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills, responsible for inspecting services that provide education and skills for learners of all ages.
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The new chairman, Sir Hamid Patel who once urged pupils to “recite the Koran” and “wear hijabs outside of school”, will take up the interim role until a successor is found for Dame Christine Ryan.
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He is the chief executive of Star Academies Trust, which runs nearly 40 primaries and secondaries, including several Islamic schools.
The trust also runs a Christian school and grammar schools, with many of its institutions rated outstanding by Ofsted.
The Telegraph reports: Sir Hamid has been on the board of Ofsted since 2019 and has led Star Academies since its inception in 2010. He was previously the headteacher of Tauheedul Islam Girls’ High School in Blackburn.
While in that role, the school became one of the first in the country to urge pupils to wear a hijab outside of school.
Guidance reportedly told pupils to “recite the Koran at least once a week” and “not bring stationery to school that contains un-Islamic images”, such as pictures of pop stars.
Criticised over cleric visit
The school was criticised over a visit in 2010 from Sheikh Abdul Rahman al-Sudais, a Saudi Arabian cleric who had described Jews as “pigs”.
Sheikh Sudais also prayed for God to “terminate” the Jews and, discussing his visit, Sir Hamid told The Sunday Times in 2013: “The girls wanted to see this guy with 5 million followers. They had seen him on YouTube. He stayed 20 minutes.”
There is no suggestion these remarks were made at the school.
A spokesman for the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism said: “We hope that in his new role, Hamid Patel will adopt a higher degree of scrutiny than he appeared to in his previous occupation. British Jews will understandably be concerned that an individual who invited a man who allegedly described Jews as ‘pigs’ to speak to children will be responsible for assessing the performance of schools.”
The trust’s schools now host speakers from Jewish, Sikh, Hindu, Christian and Islamic faiths.
Sir Hamid was knighted for his outstanding services to education in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2021 and attended the King’s Coronation.
Insiders understand Sir Hamid to be a balanced board member who has not opposed attempts to regulate more hardline religious schools.
‘A national disgrace’
Although many of the trust’s schools are Islamic, he has also vowed to help white working class boys.
“Only one in seven white working class boys will pass their GCSE in English and maths. That is a national disgrace,” he said in 2020.
The National Secular Society said: “At a time when religious fundamentalism is increasingly impacting schools, we’re willing to support any chairman who upholds principles of equality, regardless of sex and religion or belief.
“We urge Sir Hamid to ensure that Ofsted remains committed to ensuring that religion does not impede educational standards or undermine children’s fundamental human right to a broad and balanced education.”
Sir Martyn Oliver, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, said: “Sir Hamid Patel runs some of the best schools in England. He is a highly respected school and academy trust leader, knighted for his contribution to education. After more than five years on the Ofsted Board, I’m delighted he is stepping up to lead while the secretary of state recruits a permanent chairman.”
The appointment comes as Ofsted faces criticism for how it carries out school inspections in England, with Sir Martyn defending a new policy on report cards on Friday.