New Ofsted chair Hamid Patel said 'Trojan Horse' scandal alienated Muslims

Sir Hamid Patel, the new interim chair of Ofsted, the UK's school inspection body, has previously criticized the official narrative of the Birmingham "Trojan Horse" affair. He argued that the incident left some Muslims worried that openly expressing their faith would arouse "official suspicion." The "Trojan Horse" affair refers to the 2014 allegations that some Muslim teachers and governors conspired to take over Birmingham's public schools and Islamize them, an event that has since been proven to be a hoax.

Sir Patel has been a member of the Ofsted board since 2019. He was appointed interim chair earlier this week, following Dame Christine Ryan's announcement of her resignation last November. Sir Patel was knighted in 2021 and currently serves as the Chief Executive of Star Academies. This is a highly successful multi-academy trust that operates 36 schools across the UK, most of which are located in disadvantaged areas.

In 2023, Star Academies announced a partnership with Eton College, one of Britain's most prestigious private schools, to jointly establish six selective sixth-form colleges. Middle East Eye reviewed a chapter in the 2022 academic book, *The Birmingham Book: Lessons in Urban Education Leadership and Policy from the Trojan Horse Affair*, in which Patel expressed his views on the infamous incident.

The UK Department for Education and Ofsted intervened in the matter, with Ofsted conducting emergency inspections of the schools involved and downgrading their ratings. Many successful Muslim teachers were wrongly accused and smeared, and the misconduct allegations against Birmingham teachers were dropped in 2017. A 2022 podcast investigation revealed that the then-Education Secretary Michael Gove was informed by officials that counter-terrorism police had determined that the initial letter claiming a takeover plot was a hoax.

Despite this, Gove "used the letter anyway to authorize a huge, high-level investigation into potential extremism in Birmingham schools." Despite these disclosures, there has been no inquiry into the handling of the "Trojan Horse" affair to date, and some senior Conservative politicians, including Gove, continue to insist that "hardline radicals were Islamizing Birmingham's state schools."

Patel's views stand in stark contrast to this. In his chapter, Patel denied that Muslim governors had systematically attempted to take over Birmingham schools. He wrote: "We saw no evidence of this being a systematic strategy to control schools, but more reflective of there not being enough candidates coming forward to be governors. So when vacancies arose, they were filled by existing governors from other schools." He criticized the governors involved, stating: "Some school leaders noted that governors met in and out of school, forming a homogenous group perceived to be a bullying presence."

Patel argued that the "Trojan Horse" affair exacerbated the feeling among some Muslims that "there was no safe space to express their voice." He added: "Many felt that openly expressing their faith would arouse official suspicion." He further noted that the incident "exacerbated a culture of division" and "deepened a sense of powerlessness" that was already prevalent in some areas.

Patel also emphasized the importance of "fundamental British values," which schools should promote in accordance with the revised anti-extremism program: "Maintaining conversations to advocate fundamental British values is vital for effective schools. These conversations take place not only with students, but also with their parents and community members." Patel appears to support a multiculturalist view of education, which is in stark contrast to the approach taken by Michaela Community School in Wembley, where headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh introduced a high-profile prayer ban last year.

Michaela School describes itself as "secular" and its ethos includes "actively promoting integration." The issue of collective worship in schools was also central to the "Trojan Horse" affair, with its presence in the schools involved cited in official reports as evidence of "undue religious influence." However, in reality, while there are faith-designated schools, there are no so-called secular state schools in Britain. All publicly funded schools, including academies and free schools, have a statutory duty to provide daily collective worship and offer compulsory religious education.

Patel is a strong advocate of this practice, which is also implemented in Star Academies institutions: "Collective worship has been a mainstay of British education for many years and remains vital in all schools, regardless of their foundation faith, or whether they are secular in nature. Providing young people with opportunities to explore the healing that faith can bring is an important part of our work."

In a speech at the Church of England's annual education conference earlier this year, Patel said: "Faith provides us with fertile ground to grow, offering a framework that builds on the successes of the past and is hopeful for the future. Church schools have long been a powerful force, contributing to social justice, literacy and character formation." Middle East Eye has contacted Patel for comment.