Southfield’s governing body is responsible for the overall running of the school. Governors work as a team and share the goal of making Southfield a happy, stimulating and successful school. To learn more about the role of the governing body click here. To see minutes of recent meetings click here.
Southfield has thirteen governors, made up of elected parents, elected teachers, representatives of the Ealing local education authority and co-opted governors. Each governor’s term of office lasts four years. Here is a profile of the team.
Andrew Bickley – Chair of Governors
Andrew Bickley has been a governor since July 2003, becoming Chair in October of that year. In that time Andrew has worked with several excellent Headteachers, including Simon Prebble, and has been able to assist in steering the school through some difficult times, now well in the past. Andrew has also worked closely on governance issues with the Local Authority and was appointed by them as Chair of Governors, for several years, at another Ealing school. Andrew is very proud to serve Southfield, particularly as we are taking our proper place as the school of choice for our community.
When Andrew started as a governor at Southfield he had two children at the school. Both are doing well as a result of the love for learning that they received at Southfield. Helena is at Oxford University studying Music and William is taking his A Levels with the prospect of University ahead. Andrew sees his continuing involvement at Southfield as a way of saying thank you to the school for all that it gave his children. His commitment to the school is centred on the pupils. He is determined that Southfield should give all its pupils, whatever their background or circumstances, the best possible start in life.
By profession Andrew is a solicitor, specialising in large scale commercial disputes. For relaxation he reads history and listens to music.
Janet Barton – Vice Chair
Janet Barton became a School Governor in 1987. She’s worked on both the Teaching & Learning and Management Committees and has had input to numerous policies & decisions. Why does she like Southfield so much? She says “Children, Staff and Governors come & go – But – the same happy atmosphere & vision for learning has remained since my own children came here.” She really enjoys working as part of the EYFS team and loves helping children reach their full potential. She was born in East London and grew up in Central London. Outside school she enjoys football (watching not playing!) films, music and particularly reading, especially anything with an historical content.
Simon Prebble – Headteacher
As Headteacher, Simon Prebble is automatically a member of the governing body. He took up his post in September 2010. He has been a teacher for twenty-four years and has taught all age groups from Nursery to Year 6 in three different London boroughs. Prior to taking up his current post he was the Principal Primary Adviser for Ealing Local Authority and led the Primary School Improvement Team. For seven years he was the head of a primary school in Hanwell. All his teaching experiences have been in diverse communities. He strongly believes that children only have one chance in education and it is the responsibility of schools to ensure all children achieve. He has lived in the Borough of Ealing for twenty years and loves travelling, playing tennis and reading.
Catherine Barlen – Safeguarding Link Governor, Teaching & Learning Committee
Catherine Barlen is the mother of two girls, in Years 4 and 2, and was elected as a parent governor in October 2010. She has been on the Committee of the Southfield Parent Staff Association (SPSA) since 2008. Through her work in the SPSA and as a governor, she aims to support the Headteacher in making Southfield the best possible school for all its pupils.
She grew up in Bedford and studied Latin and Ancient Greek followed by Law. She spent most of her legal career in Brussels and the rest in London. Her legal skills are currently put to good use in dealing with SPSA and governor paperwork!
Her principal hobby is music. She plays the viola and is a member of the Ealing Symphony Orchestra and of a string quartet. She attends Christ Church Turnham Green and is a part-time theology student. She also enjoys swimming and practising foreign languages.
Fabio Conti – Local Authority Governor (Conservative). Link Governor – Attendance and Equality & Equal Opportunities
Fabio Conti is a final year medical student at St George’s Medical School in South London. He grew up in Ealing and became a school governor because he wanted to give something back to his community. He was fortunate to have had ‘an amazing’ school experience and wants to ensure that other young people will also have the same opportunities to set them on the road to achieve their potential. He became the Link Governor for Attendance and also for Equality and Equal Opportunities; as these are two areas he feels strongly about.
Kathryn Cooper – EYFS Link Governor, Teaching & Learning Committee
Kathryn Cooper is the mother of two boys in years 1 and 4. She was elected as a parent governor in November 2011. She believes in parental involvement in education, high expectations and would like to see all children at Southfield leaving Year 6 feeling proud of their achievements. She grew up in the New Forest and escaped to the city as soon as she could, studying for a business degree whilst living in East London. Chiswick has been her home for the past fifteen years. She has spent her professional life in marketing and corporate sales within the IT industry.
She is a Founder and Governor of The West London Free School and fundraises for three London based children’s charities. Over the past few years she has participated in endurance sports including triathlon, duathlon and her first swimathon in 2012.
Julie Greenhough – Literacy Link Governor, Teaching & Learning Committee
Julie Greenhough has been part of the governing body of Southfleld since August 2010. In August 2011 she was elected to represent Primary School Governors on Ealing Schools Forum. She is a qualified secondary school Teacher of English, working full time in a school in West London where she specialises in enabling Gifted and Talented students. She holds Qualified Teacher Status as well as two MAs, one of which is in education. An Associate of the Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors, an active member of the United Kingdom Literacy Association and of the National Association of Teachers of English, she is a strong believer in the life changing effect of education. She has lived locally for eight years and believes in the value of schools as part of the local community. In her spare time she is in the final stages of a doctorate at the Institute of Education and a freelance educational journalist.’
Abdullah Gullaid – Local Authority Governor (Labour)
Marianna Loizia – Clerk to the Governors
Marianna Loizia is an experienced clerk having worked with many Ealing governing bodies over the last 12 years. She has been clerking at Southfield since January 2011. She has a good insight into the workings and challenges of a successful governing body and served two terms as a school governor. She juggles clerking with a full time job as a PA, and looking after her family.
Andrea Mac-Fall – Buildings Governor, Management Committee
Andrea Mac-Fall was elected as a parent governor in 2010. Having never attended a British school during her childhood, she was delighted with the education and loving care her four children were getting in Southfield and thought the system was definitely worth supporting. She has children in Year 6, Year 3 and Reception as well as one in Year 8 at Secondary School. After being a Southfield parent for 8 years, and with a prospective 8 more to go she felt it was time to get involved.
Andrea studied Interior Architecture and Furniture Design in Stuttgart after completing her French Baccalaureate. Her career started in the UK with designs for Hammersmith Station, Heathrow Airport, Selfridges and The Post Office. She now runs a design consultancy with her husband.
Her passion for the built environment has led her to become the link governor responsible for buildings. As a cyclist, getting involved with the School Travel Plan, has given her the opportunity to work towards her dream of a car-free school run.
Jordan O’Connor – Teaching & Learning Committee
Jordan O’Connor is a year 6 teacher and phase leader for upper key stage two. He became a governor in order to support the Headteacher and staff in ensuring that Southfield is the best place for every child. He believes that a good primary education can make the difference between success and failure in adult life, and that it is the responsibility of adults to ensure all children can be successful in their futures. He has been teaching for twelve years, ten of which have been at Southfield. Before becoming a teacher he worked in the Film & TV industry as a Second Assistant Director, Writer and Producer.
He is a keen sports fan and has been a Chelsea supporter since the age of five. He enjoys reading about mathematical discovery and space.
Paul Rodriguez – Management Committee
Paul Rodriguez is the father of Olivia and Samuel, in years 1 and 4 respectively, and was elected as a parent governor in October 2010. He has been an active member of the school community since the day Sam started, firstly in the SPSA and now in the Governing Body.
By day he is a senior project manager at a government-backed pensions organisation. His job requires drive, determination, clarity of thought and a willingness to get stuck in.
He was raised in Leamington Spa in the Midlands and did Chemical Engineering at Birmingham University. He moved to London aged 22 to start a career in management consultancy and project management. In his spare time he is a keen music collector, gig-goer, cook and film buff. He’s also a recent, evangelical, convert to the benefits and joys of cycling in the city.
Ayan Samatar – Teaching & Learning Committee
Ayan Samatar is the mother of four children, with two at Southfield in years 5 and 2. She has been part of the governing body since October 2010 and an active member of the school community since her eldest daughter started the school in 2004. She now works as a link between the school and the Muslim community.
Ayan grew up in Mogadishu,Somalia but moved to Egypt during the Somalian Civil war to study Accounting. Her hobbies include learning languages and she is fluent in Somali, Arabic and English and speaks a bit of French and Italian.
Madeleine Stevens – Numeracy Link Governor, Chair of Teaching & Learning Committee.
Madeleine Stevens was elected parent governor in 2010. She grew up locally and has had children at Southfield since 1998. Her two younger children are in years 3 and 6 and her eldest is now in the sixth form at Chiswick School. Since her children started at Southfield, Madeleine has been a volunteer helping with maths and reading, piano-playing for school shows and supporting music generally. She has seen many changes over the years but has always found the school to be a very warm and friendly place with a great sense of community where all children are highly valued and many different sorts of achievement are felt to be important. She works as an academic researcher at the London School of Economics and Political Science and is currently studying for a PhD in child and family social care. She has a strong professional as well as personal interest in children’s education and behaviour, the way different children learn, and the importance of the arts in school life.
