Fozia Nisar – Head of School

Fozia Nisar is Head of School at Lift Montgomery Primary Academy, an outstanding Birmingham-based primary school within Lift Schools. With twenty years of experience working in education, Fozia is a British Pakistani Muslim woman who grew up in Coventry and speaks from lived experience about what it means to navigate systems where representation and access are limited and what it takes to change them.

Fozia specialises in equity, belonging and representation in education, with a particular focus on underrepresented communities in school leadership. Across her career she has designed curricula in history, geography, art and design technology bringing a deep commitment to creative, culturally rich education that reflects the diversity of the children she serves. She is passionate about creating meaningful pathways for those whose backgrounds have historically limited their opportunities and on the transformative power of arts and culture in education. She has contributed to the national Theatre for Every Child initiative and spoken at its launch event at the London Palladium, and collaborates with the Birmingham Hippodrome Education Network.
As an adoptive parent, belonging is not simply a professional value for Fozia, it is something she understands deeply and personally, bringing authenticity and warmth to everything she speaks about.