Star leader awarded OBE in King Charles III’s first New Year honours
Mouhssin Ismail, Regional Director/Executive Principal at Star Academies, has been named as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year Honours.
Mouhssin has been honoured for his services to education, named amongst a select group of educators in King Charles III’s first set of honours during his reign.
In his role as a Regional Director/Executive Principal at Star, Mouhssin oversees primary and secondary schools across Lancashire, supporting senior leaders to deliver exceptional results through developing an ambitious knowledge-rich curriculum.
Before entering education, Mouhssin was a Banking and Finance lawyer, but left the legal profession to become a teacher. He was driven by a deep personal mission to ensure young people in state education receive an equally robust, high-quality and well-rounded education as those receiving a private education.
His unrelenting passion to champion social mobility led him to become the founding Principal of Newham Collegiate Sixth Form (NCS) in East Ham, London, one of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the capital. In his eight years at NCS, Mouhssin established the sixth form as one of the highest performing in the country, providing outstanding prospects for young people in the area, many from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Close to 95% of NCS’s students receive offers from Russell Group universities, with a handful of students from the college also gaining full scholarships to study at Ivy League institutions in the United States. These were achieved through NCS’s professional schools programmes, with tailored provision and tutoring for those wishing to pursue an ambitious post-18 education. Mouhssin has also championed work placements for students in Abu Dhabi and Dubai to provide young people with valuable experiences to aid them in their careers.
Despite only joining Star in September 2022, Mouhssin has quickly made his mark at the trust, spearheading the new Elite University Preparation Programme, which seeks to raise aspirations in Star’s secondary schools and sixth forms, whilst providing personalised support to help pupils apply and prepare for some of for the most competitive universities in the world.
Mouhssin said: “I’m grateful, privileged and honoured to be awarded an OBE for services to education in the New Year Honours List. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my wonderful colleagues who over the years have dedicated themselves to the social mobility cause and demonstrated a strong commitment to serving our talented young people.
“While it is a proud moment, it has only given me even more motivation to deliver for young people in Star schools and across the north of England. There is still so much we can do to raise aspirations, deliver outcomes and results where many say it’s not possible. Alongside my colleagues at Star, I have never been more determined to play my part in helping to transform lives.”
Added By: Star Academies | Date Added: 13th Jan 2023 | Posted In: Latest News