Governing Body
Longfield Primary School
Learning Together, Achieving Forever
School Governors’ introduction
Welcome to the Longfield Primary School Governors’ Homepage. Here you will find information about the Governors for the school, our activities and responsibilities.
We believe a successful Governing Body works best when it has a close working relationship between all members of the school community and as such the membership of your Governing Body is made up of parents, staff, local residents, educators, former pupils and members of the local authority working together to secure the best possible education for children attending the school
The Governing body comprises:
- The Headteacher
- 2 Parent Governors, (elected by the parents)
- 1 Staff Governor (elected by staff)
- 1 LA Governor (nominated by the main political parties on the Council)
- 9 Co Opted Governors (selected by GB members on the basis of skills or experience relevant to the requirements of Longfield Primary School and the Governing Body)
Roles & Responsibilities
- The Governing Body has a collective, legal responsibility for the effective management of the school, acting within a framework established by national legislation and the agreed policies of the schools. Its main aim is to maintain and improve the quality of education and the standards of achievement at the schools.
- Governors are volunteers and as such are not paid for their work. They sometimes take time off from their normal work to visit the school or attend meetings. The majority of meetings are held in the evenings in school.
- Governors are not expected to take detailed decisions about the day-to-day running of the school; that is the responsibility of the Headteacher, although the Headteacher will discuss various aspects of school life with the Governors. The partnership between the Headteacher, staff, Governors and parents determines how well the school functions. Parent Governors are the parents’ voice on the Governing Body and are always happy to help parents in their approach to the schools.
- If you would like to know more about becoming a Governor, please visit the School Governor pages on the Harrow council website, GovernorNet, a website for governors run by the Department for Children Schools and Families or contact the Chair of Governors through the school office.
Current Longfield Primary School Governors
Head Teacher:
- Pam Virdee
Parent Governors:
- Sakshi Rajput
- Payal Dudani-Patel
Staff Governor:
- Katie Jarvis
LA Governor
- Vacancy
Co-opted Governors
- Liz Whitcombe - Chair
- Stephen Pidgeon - Vice chair
- Dipak Umeria
- Neil Enright
- Suzy Cantlay
- Jack Frohlich
- Alex Rusby
- Bijal Vaducha
- Nick Vairea
Liz Whitcombe
Chair of Governors
Governing Body of Longfield Primary School (LPS) - Register of Interests
| Name | Category of Governor | Appointing Group | Committees served on | Responsibilities | Pecunary Interests (Businesses, Directorships, Charity Trusteeships, Membership of Professional Bodies) | Personal Interests | Governance/Trustee roles in other schools | Term of Office |
| Elizabeth Whitcombe | Co-opted | LPS Governing Body | Finance & Personnel | -Chair of LPS GB -Safeguarding -Mentoring & 5Rs -Wellbeing | -Elmfield Church | 09/07/24 – 08/07/28 | ||
| Stephen Pidgeon | Co-opted | LPS Governing Body | Finance & Personnel (Chair) | -Vice Chair of LPS GB -HT’s Performance Management -Pupil Premium | 09/07/24 – 08/07/28 | |||
| Pam Virdee Headteacher (LPS) | Ex-Officio | LPS Governing Body | Finance & Personnel | - | ||||
| Suzy Cantlay Deputy HT (LPS) | Co-opted | LPS Governing Body | 01/01/25 – 31/12/28 | |||||
| Neil Enright | Co-opted | LPS Governing Body | -Music -RE | -Director/Trustee: Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet -Director: Corporate Trustee of The Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s School -Director: FQE Enterprises Ltd -The Harrow Foundation (inc. Harrow School, The John Lyon Charity and Harrow International Schools) -St Albans High School for Girls -Ashmole Multi-Academy Trust -Member of NAHT | -Headmaster, Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet -Deputy Chairman, The John Lyon School Harrow (inc. Quainton Hall Prep) -Governor, Harrow School -Chair of Education Committee, St Albans High School -Trustee, Ashmole Multi- Academy Trust | 01/01/25 – 31/12/28 | ||
| Dipak Umeria | Co-opted | LPS Governing Body | -History -Geography -Health & Safety -Thinking skills -A G & T | 01/01/25 - 31/12/28 | ||||
| Nick Vairea | Co-opted | LPS Governing Body | Finance & Personnel (Vice Chair) | - Finance & Personnel | - Chief Business Officer, SAP UK Ltd Parents and Friends of Longfield Primary School | Enjoys the gym & working out, watching movies and hanging out with his children. A big Manchester United fan and enjoys watching and playing football. | - Vice Chair of the Finance Committee and also a Trustee and Vice Chair of the PFL | 01/12/23 - 30/11/27 |
| Name | Category of Governor | Appointing Group | Committees served on | Responsibilities | Pecunary Interests (Businesses, Directorships, Charity Trusteeships, Membership of Professional Bodies) | Personal Interests | Governance/Trustee roles in other schools | Term of office |
| Alex Rusby | Co-opted | LPS Governing Body | -PE -Website compliance | -Behavioural Science Associate | 09/07/24 - 8/7/2028 | |||
| Bijal Vaducha | Co-opted | LPS Governing Body | Finance & Personnel | Schnell Solutions -Company Director - Finance and Operations Association of chartered certified accountant (ACCA) | Friends of West Lodge PTA committee member | 31/10/22 – 30/10/26 | ||
| Jack Frohlich | Co-opted | LPS governing Body | -PSHE | National Manager at RSY-Netzer | Youth Development Lead for Delivery Partnerships at the King’s Trust | 12/09/23-11/09/27 | ||
| Katie Jarvis Assistant HT (LPS) (Governor since 2022) | Staff | LPS Staff | Lee Jarvis (Husband) Leads weekly external football club with Longfield pupils. Uses school premises. | 14/11/23 - 13/11/25 | ||||
| Vacancy | Local Authority | |||||||
| Vacancy | Parent | |||||||
| Vacancy | Parent | |||||||
Previous Governors in the last 12 months | ||||||||
| Rajeshri Suthar | Parent | Parents of LPS | Director/owner Rajeshri Foods Ltd | 17/11/22 - 16/11/24 | ||||
| Sarah Walters | Parent | Parents of LPS | Director, Optimum Youth Care Hillingdon Children’s Services Member of Social Care England | 17/11/22 - 16/11/24 | ||||
Governor Attendance - Academic year 23-24 to 24-25
| Name | Governor Type/Office Held | Date of Appointment | Appointed by | Office Ends | 28th Sep 2023 | 7th Dec 2023 | 21st Mar 2024 | 16th May 2024 | 4th July 2024 | 26th Sep 2024 | 5th Dec 2024 | 20th Mar 2025 | 24th April 2025 |
| Mrs P Virdee | Headteacher | Y | Y | Apology | Apology | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |||
| Mrs E Whitcombe | Co-opted, Chair of GB, F&P Committee | 09/07/2024 | GB | 08/07/2028 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Mr S Pidgeon | Co-opted, Vice Chair of GB Chair of F&P Committee | 09/07/2024 | GB | 08/07/2028 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Mr A Rusby | Co-opted | 09/07/2024 | GB | 08/07/2028 | Apology | Apology | Apology | Apology | Y | Y | Y | Apology | Apology |
| Mrs S Cantlay | Co-opted, Deputy Head | 01/01/2025 | GB | 31/12/2028 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Apology | Y | Y | Y |
| Mr N Enright | Co-opted | 01/01/2025 | GB | 31/12/2028 | Y | Y | Apology | Y | Apology | Y | Y | Y | Apology |
| Mr J Frohlich | Co-opted | 12/09/2023 | GB | 11/09/2027 | Y | Y | Apology | Apology | Y | Apology | Apology | Apology | A |
| Mr D Umeria | Co-opted | 01/01/2025 | GB | 31/12/2028 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Apology | Y | Apology | A |
| Mrs B Vaducha | Co-opted Vice Chair of F&P Committee | 31/10/2022 | GB | 30/10/2026 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Apology | Y | Apology | Y | Y |
| Mrs K Jarvis | Staff | 14/11/2023 | Staff | 13/11/2025 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Mr N Vairea | Co-opted, Vice Chair of F&P Committee | 01/12/2023 | GB | 30/11/2027 | Y | Y | Y | Apology | Y | Y | Y | Apology | |
| Vacancy | Parent | Vacancy | |||||||||||
| Vacancy | Parent | Vacancy | |||||||||||
| Vacancy | LA Governor | Vacancy | Vacancy | Vacancy | Vacancy | Vacancy | Vacancy | Vacancy | Vacancy | ||||
| Mrs S Doel | Clerk to GB and F&P Committee | 01/09/2012 | GB | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | A | A | A | A | |
| Mrs N Iqbal | Observer/Clerk to GB | 21/03/2024 | GB | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||
| Resigned in previous 12 months | |||||||||||||
| Miss S Walters | Parent | 17/11/2022 | Parents | 16/11/2024 | A | A | Y | Y | Y | Y | Apology | ||
| Mrs R Suthar | Parent | 17/11/2022 | Parents | 16/11/2024 | A | Apology | A | Y | A | A | A | ||
Key Y - Attended meeting Apology – received before meeting A – Did not attend meeting and no apology was received prior to meeting. | |||||||||||||