Meet the Board

 "Governors are knowledgeable and are routinely involved in the work of the school offering strong strategic support." Ofsted

Our Governing Board

Mrs Marie Cusack, Chair of the Governing Board 

   Co-Opted Governor - Term of Office 07/03/2021

Message from the Chair of Governors: 

Dear all at Preston Park,

My name is Marie Cusack and I am the Chair of Governors at Preston Park Primary School. I am very proud and privileged to lead the Governing Body at this time. We have a highly ambitious Headteacher and Governing Board which is seeing the school move from strength to strength. 

I take my responsibilities as a governor very seriously and I am very committed to the well-being of the children and their families. I see my role as being a ‘critical friend’ to the headteacher and staff by contributing to, supporting and questioning all aspects of the school’s activities.

My own children are former Preston Park pupils and are currently doing exceptionally well in secondary school. They really enjoyed their time here and I wanted to give something back to help build on these high standards for all children to benefit from. 

I am a working mother, like many parents, but I feel compelled to make time for this challenging role. I am passionate about pushing the school, the staff and the pupils to ever-higher standards and achievements.

I am regularly at the school for meetings and attending events. Many parents and teachers know me so if you would like a quick chat please don’t hesitate to approach me.

Many Thanks

Marie Cusack.

Mr Oliver Lestner

     Co-Opted Governor - Term of Office 07/03/2022

Oli is the Vice-Chair of Governors for the academic year 2019-20. He found Preston Park through the Governors for Schools charity in 2018 and jumped at the chance to help primary school pupils in his local area realise their full potential. Oli is a business strategy consultant, helping small to medium-sized businesses improve sales and profitability. He is also a chartered management accountant and sits on Preston Park's finance committee. Oli holds a first-class degree in Economics and Philosophy from the University of Nottingham.

Mrs Katarina Kassouf

    Parent Governor - Term of Office 28/04/2023

My motivation to become a parent governor was to be a part of helping our school to make a
difference in our children's lives. I have been working with children most of my life and I enjoy it thoroughly. My skills include having very good communications skills, being well organised, working well in a team and individually and I am always happy to assist those who need me. Our children are our new future and for that reason, I feel I have to make a difference, where I can.

Ms Houra Qadir

Bio and pic coming soon! Co-Opted Governor - Term of Office 11/12/2022

Ms Ranjna Shiyani

   Co-Opted Governor - Term of Office 01/04/2023

My name is Ranjna Shiyani, I am the Headteacher at Ashley College, which a medical needs
Pupil Referral Unit in Brent. I started my teaching career in Brent over 20 years ago and have
since gained experience of a wide range of educational settings including secondary, primary, all through behaviour PRUs and a medical PRU in Haringey and Ealing. My training is in the Arts,

I have successfully led a faculty in Brent, been a senior leader at an Art Specialist School in
 Islington in charge of the specialism, as well as a year in an Islington primary school as a
Year 5 teacher and senior leader.

I have previously held a parent/community governor role at a primary school in Harrow for over 6years. Returning to Brent in 2016 was due to my desire to work with and give back to my local community. I am passionate about supporting children and young people to succeed and help instil in them the importance of education and community. 

Anthony Peltier, 

Bio and pic coming soon! Co-Opted Governor - Term of Office 26/03/2022

Miss Rochelle Thomas 

Bio and pic coming soon! Co-Opted Governor - Term of Office 17/07/2021

Mr Blair Thomson

Bio and pic coming soon! Parent Governor - Term of Office 17/07/2021

Rebecca Currie

Bio and pic coming soon! Staff Governor - Term of Office 12/11/2021

Mr. Hari Varanasi - 

   Term of Office 16/12/2023

I am a resident of Brent Council since 2015. We moved to London in 2011 and have previously lived and worked in the US and India. 

I have a post graduate degree Computer Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. My line of work is finance, building and managing technology systems at major banks. I spent 16 years at Goldman Sachs and am currently a director at Deutsche Bank. 

I am passionate about children, volunteering my time to raise funds for children charities and help schools in communities I have lived in. As a governor, I would like to put my skills in finance, technology and project management to help the school accomplish it goals and provide the children with a safe and nurturing environment to grow. 

I am married to Priyanka and we live with our son in Dollis Hill. 

Previous Governors

• Mrs Penney French, Co-Opted - Term of Office 31/12/2018
• Ms Zahra Al-Rikabi, Co-Opted - Term of Office 22/11/19
• Ms Linda Green, Co-Opted - Term of Office 20/11/2019
• Mrs Omi Qadir, Parent - Term of Office 07/03/2021
• Ms Wajeeha Baba, Co-Opted - Term of Office 15/06/2018
• Mrs Rashika Patel, Staff Governor - Until 25.09.17
• Cllr Patricia Harrison, (Vice Chair) Local Authority - Term of Office 06/12/2018
• Mrs Humaira Sheikh, Parent - Term of Office 22.05.2017
• Ms Maria Teresa Castro - Until 07.03.2017
• Dr Vijaya Mokal-Parekh – Until 07.03.2017
• Mr Sagar Patel – Until 07.03.2017
• Mr Chetan Patel - Until 07.03.2017
• Mrs Susan Joslin – Until 31.01.17
• Mr Harshadbhai Patel Until 15.02.17
• Bhavdip Amin, Co-Opted Governor - Term of Office 26/03/2022

Parent Governors are elected by parents of children at the school;

Staff Governors: members of the school staff - elected by the staff;

Authority Governors (previously known as LEA Governors): nominated by the Local Authority;

Community Governors and Associate Governors: members of the local community (appointed by the rest of the governing body);

Contacting the Governors

The normal channels for parent consultation with school are through the Headteacher or his representative, although in most cases parents should contact the class teacher or year group leader in the first instance. Governors can make themselves available for consultation with parents if required but it is normally advisable to ensure that matters requiring the attention of the governors are first taken up through normal channels within the school.

Dates of Meetings

Autumn Term

• Full Governing Body– 1st October 2019
• Achievement and Standards Committee – 5th November 2019
• Resources Committee – 3rd December 2019
• Pay Committee – 3rd December 2019

Spring Term

• Achievement and Standards Committee – 28th January 2020
• Resources Committee – 25th Feburary 2020
• Full Governing Body – 17th March 2020
• Pay Committee – 17th March 2020

Summer Term

• Achievement and Standards Committee – 28th April 2020
• Resources Committee – 23rd June 2020
• Full Governing Body – 2nd July 2020

Declaration of Interests

Please click here to view

Committee Membership