Governor Bios

Olga Cara (Chair of Governors)

My name is Olga Cara and I am a chair of governors. I have been a St Meryl governor since March 2018. I am a mum of three lovely children. I have only one child left at St Meryl as two others who previously attended St Meryl are now in secondary school. I am also a full-time academic. I am a lecturer in Sociology of Education at Institute of Education University College London. My research interests are in home-school partnerships, family learning, and the role of ethnicity and languages in education.

I find the role of a school governor very thought-provoking for me both as a parent and a professional. I believe all children deserve a good quality education in a safe and nurturing environment. I also think that parents, schools and the broader community have to come together to raise happy and confident children who can achieve at their best ability. I feel privileged that I can contribute to this through my role as a governor and be a part of an amazing team of dedicated people.

Shruti Morjaria (Vice Chair)

I was appointed Local Authority Governor at St. Meryl school in December 2017 and was elected Vice-Chair of Governors in 2018. I am an experienced Delivery Manager working for the local government within their IT department. My experience consists of leading a team of external suppliers and contractors as well as project teams and I have worked on a variety of high-profile digital projects across various sectors. I have two children aged 9 and 12 and live very close to the school in Carpenders Park. I am honoured to be part of the Governing Body at St. Meryl’s school and feel very proud to be part of the St Meryl family.

Eloise Swain (Staff Governor)

My name is Eloise and I am a Staff Governor. I am the SENCo and Mental Health Lead at St Meryl School and I also support families by working with them on TAFs. I joined St Meryl School in September 2014 and I became a Governor in September 2019. I love working at St Meryl School because it is such a friendly and supportive school - for all members of the school family. I became a Governor as the quality of teaching and learning provision of the school is something I fully support. I believe I have the children's (and their families' ) best interests at heart and I wanted to share these at a Governance level, ensuring continuous improvement for the benefit of all members of the school community.

Craig Davies (Head Teacher Governor)

Originally from New Zealand, I began my teaching career in 1996. I moved to England in 2000, and taught in our neighbouring borough of Harrow until 2014. I began at St Meryl as a teaching Deputy Head, and became Head in 2020.

 I feel very fortunate and proud to be part of a school that puts the interests of the children at the centre of all that we do.

  I work in partnership with our Governors on all aspects of school life. It is very rewarding being part of such a dedicated group of governors who work together to ensure that are vision and values are at the heart of what we are at St Meryl.

Tony Peiris (Finance Governor)

I am currently the finance Governor for St Meryl since December 2019.   Having worked in finance over the last 30+ years I felt this provided the opportunity for me to use the skills and knowledge I had gained over this time to support the local primary school where both my two daughters were lucky and happy to attend.  Prior to becoming a Governor, I was the chairman of the St Meryl PTA which enabled me to gain an insight and understanding of the challenges and opportunities that the school, staff and pupils continually encounter each day.  It continues to be a privilege to be involved and support the whole St Meryl community. 

Davina Raftery (Co-opted Governor)

A local resident for more than 30 years, both my children attended St Meryl for their primary education. During this time, I initially volunteered as a parent helper – listening to readers, accompanying the swimming group and helping with cooking – then later worked as a teaching assistant, before leaving to qualify as a teacher. After 20 years in primary education, I have recently retired from full-time work and now welcome the opportunity to use my knowledge and experience to benefit my local school and its pupils.

Sonal Davda (Co-opted Governor)

I am passionate about education, and love to see children thrive.  I am a pharmacist by profession, and have two children who have recently completed primary school, so I understand the pressures of working parents.  In my spare time I enjoy keeping fit and cooking new recipes.  I am grateful to have the opportunity to contribute to the school community, and supporting the school leadership in whatever capacity I can.

Neesha Patel (Co-opted Governor)

I joined the St Meryl School Governing Body in January 2023 as a co-opted Governor.

I attended the College of Law, London and qualified as a solicitor in 2001. I currently work in-house as my company’s General Counsel and practices Corporate and Commercial Law. 

I am married with two boys aged 13 and 10 and enjoy travelling with my family.