Sir Hamid Patel, chief executive of Star Academies, has been appointed as the interim chair of Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills in England. He will serve in this role until the government appoints a permanent successor to Dame Christine Ryan, who announced her departure in November after four and a half years in the position.
Sir Hamid, an Ofsted board member since 2019, will hold the position for up to five months. His appointment comes at a time when Ofsted is undergoing governance reforms in response to a review led by former Chief Inspector Dame Christine Gilbert, published in September last year.
Chief Inspector Sir Martyn Oliver welcomed the appointment, saying, “I am very pleased that Sir Hamid will be supporting us as interim chair while the government recruits Dame Christine’s successor. I look forward to working closely with him and, in time, with a new chair.”
As CEO of Star Academies since its formation in 2010, Patel has overseen the development of 36 primary and secondary schools across Lancashire, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, the Midlands, and London.
Beyond his role at Star Academies, Sir Hamid holds several key positions in the education sector. He is vice chair of the National Institute of Teaching, chairs the Cabinet Office’s independent Education Honours Committee, and serves as an honorary professor of education at the University of Birmingham. His leadership contributions have earned him numerous accolades, including a CBE in 2015 and a knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2021.
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