Bushra Nasir CBE DL

Mrs. Bushra Nasir is currently Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Drapers’ Multi- academy Trust (MAT) comprising of 5 schools in London. She line manages the Headteacher of each school and the MAT Executive team. All the schools are now judged at least Good by OFSTED and provide great opportunities for social mobility in an area of high deprivation.

Mrs. Bushra Nasir was a secondary headteacher with 20 years’ experience at Plashet School in the London Borough of Newham before retiring in December 2012. She was one of the first Muslim female headteacher of a secondary school in the UK. In 2003, she was awarded a CBE for her services to education and in 2005 won the ‘Asian Professional Woman of the Year’ award. She served on the General Teaching Council from 2000 to 2005 and was President of the Muslim Teachers’ Association for six years. In 2006, Mrs. Nasir was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of East London for her services to education; in 2007 she received a Fellowship from Queen Mary College London and in 2015 an Honorary Master’s degree from the University of St. Mark and St. John.

Plashet is an 11–16 comprehensive girls’ school with 1,355 students, 90 per cent of them from ethnic minority backgrounds and a high percentage with free school meals. Plashet is a high-achieving school with GCSE results above national average; the 2012 GCSE results were the highest achieved by the school at 74% 5 good passes including English and Maths compared to 28% in 1993 when Mrs. Nasir became Headteacher. Plashet gained Beacon status in September 2000, Leading Edge status in 2004 and Science Specialist College Status in September 2007. The school was graded Outstanding in its Ofsted inspection in March 2005 and March 2008. It was featured in a national report produced by Ofsted entitled ‘12 Outstanding Schools – excelling against the odds’.

While working in Newham, Mrs. Nasir chaired Secondary Heads’ meetings and led a Leading Edge Partnership. She has also mentored newly appointed Head-teachers. She has been trained and accredited as a mentor by the Institute of Education and has completed the Consultant Leaders Programme. She is an accredited School Improvement Partner (SIP) and has supported schools in Essex. She is currently on the Education Advisory Panel for Mosaic, a Prince’s Trust charity, and is a trainer on the Confident Executive Leaders’ Program. She was a Council member of Queen Mary University and the Chair of the Education Committee of the Migration Project. At present, she is mentoring numerous Headteachers and leading the Performance Management process of 4 Headteachers. Mrs. Nasir has spoken at a wide range of conferences and events related to educational issues for parents, head-teachers and educationalists.

Mrs. Nasir is co-author of a book called Breaking Stereotypes, which aims to provide positive role models for ethnic minority young people. In 2009, she was named in the top 10 list of Muslim women in the ‘Muslim Power’ list produced by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and published in The Times.  In 2022, she was included in a Womens London tube map published by UCL and TFL celebrating different role models.

Mrs. Nasir was awarded TES Headteacher of the Year in summer 2012 and the role of Deputy Lord Lieutenant (Greater London) by the Queen in 2016. She Chairs the London Faith and Belief awards which recognizes London grassroots charities and is a Trustee of an educational charity.