BIO - Asif Bhatti OBE

Asif Bhatti OBE

Asif Bhatti OBE is a nationally recognised education leader whose career has been distinguished by sustained school improvement, system leadership and a longstanding commitment to educational equity.

He has an established record of leading and supporting schools in complex and challenging circumstances, securing rapid and sustained improvement, strengthening leadership and materially improving outcomes for children. Since his appointment as Headteacher of Town Farm Primary School in 2016, he has led a significant transformation of the school, culminating in its recognition as Outstanding in all areas and becoming the first community primary school in the borough to achieve that distinction.

In 2019, Asif was seconded to Surrey County Council’s Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Transformation Programme, contributing to work designed to strengthen early intervention and improve access to support for children and young people across schools. In 2021, he co-authored work concerning strategic approaches to inclusion in secondary schools, advancing greater equity, consistency of inclusive practice and the principle that every child should be afforded an opportunity to belong and achieve.

In 2025, Asif contributed to the development of school inspection practice through his work with Ofsted, bringing the perspective of serving school leadership to the evolving inspection framework and supporting leaders nationally in understanding and engaging with changes to inspection practice.

Asif has also played an important part in challenging longstanding barriers to representation within educational leadership. His career has provided visible senior leadership representation and demonstrated the importance of widening opportunity, raising aspiration and ensuring that leadership better reflects the communities it serves.

Asif is a writer, speaker and adviser on educational leadership, inclusion, collaboration and school improvement. He also contributes to charitable, governance and advisory bodies concerned with education, opportunity and community development.

In 2026, Asif was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to education in His Majesty The King’s Birthday Honours List.