Governing Board
Contacting the Governing Board
To contact a member of the Governing Board, please telephone or e-mail Mrs Varsani in the School Office who will pass on your details and requests.
School telephone number: 020 8954 3978
School e-mail: office@stjohns.harrow.sch.uk
The Revd Matthew Stone (Chair)
Matthew is Rector of St John’s Church Stanmore and has been a governor since 2014 (and Chair of Governors since 2015). He is a member of the Staffing Committee and Standards & Achievements Committee, as well as the designated governor for safeguarding. Matthew is married to Becky, a high school teacher, and they have two children who attend St John’s School. Prior to moving to Stanmore, Matthew was Vicar of All Saints’ Queensbury for six years during which time he was Chair of Governors to a local infant school and junior school. Matthew has an interest in education and a desire to see all children flourish to the best of their ability. Prior to ordination Matthew worked in retail banking and then for The Prince’s Trust.
Mrs Jo Hester - Headteacher
I am the Headteacher of St John's Church of England School and a Governor. I have been at the school since September 2012 and was delighted to have been appointed to lead the school onwards and upwards. I have been teaching for 30 years and have been a Headteacher for the past 13 years. I am passionate about my job. It is great leading a team of dedicated and hard working staff in moving the school forward and I am very excited about what the future holds for St John's.
I sit on all committees of the governing body, with the exception of the admissions committee and at each main governing body meeting. I submit a detailed report on the progress of our pupils and other important aspects of school life, which governors are encouraged to question and challenge. I am a member of St Peter’s Church, West Harrow and take an active role in the worship and prayer ministry teams.
Mr Graham Nicholson
Foundation Governor appointed by Harrow Deanery Synod.
My link with St John’s first started when my eldest daughter, who is now a veterinary surgeon, started at the school. Although living in Bushey now, we are still members of St John’s Stanmore, where I am a member of the serving team. I have previously been a governor of the school and stood down in order to do a MSc in Cyber Security as I felt that I would not be able to devote the time required to work full time, study for the MSc and be a governor.
I am IT consultant and occasionally travel to Europe to do temporary IT installations or provide consultancy, primarily to military customers. Although this can sound quite interesting it always ends up as flying in, do the job and then fly straight home again, the inside of one server room is very much like the next.
Outside of work I enjoy fencing with both epee and foil and I also enjoy reading and can, occasionally, be found behind a camera
At present I am serving on the Admissions Committee.
Mr Andrew Morgan
Foundation Governor appointed by the LDBS - Chair of Finance Committee
I have been on the Governing Body of St John’s since 1999 and this is my fourth term as a Governor. I have three daughters who have all been to St Johns; Isobel is currently at secondary school and the older two are both at University.
I am a Senior Manager with Lloyds Bank specialising in property investment and development and have worked for them for over 30 years.
In my spare time I do a lot of cycling and each year I take part in the London to Paris cycle ride for charity and so far have completed this on 5 occasions. I also enjoy watching my local team, Stevenage, in League 1.
I am Chair of the Finance and Premises Committee and also the Treasurer to the Governing Body since 1999.
The Revd Dr. John Barker
I am the Vicar of All Saints Church Harrow Weald which is the neighbouring parish to St John’s. Many children from our congregation have attended and do attend St John’s School. I am a Foundation Governor, representing the Diocese of London, and a member of the Admissions Committee and the Christian Ethos Committee. I try to play an active part in the life of the school and am part of the team leading collective worship. I enjoy running and managed to complete the London Marathon in 2019. My other passion is my hometown football team Darlington FC and I have the privilege to be their Chaplain.
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Mrs Rachel Lacey
Staff Governor
I am one of the Staff Governors and am currently a Teaching Assistant in Year 4. Included in my role, is working with small groups of children who require some extra support with their maths. Music is another interest of mine and I help to run the weekly orchestra during assembly, the after school Orchestra Club and other music events across the school.
I am married to Jon and have two boys who have spent many happy years at St. Johns. We regularly attend a church in Hendon and help to run their Youth Clubs.
At present I am serving on the Committee for Admissions.
Dr. Abigail Miranda
I joined as a foundation governor in July 2016 and was appointed by the London Diocesan Board for Schools. I am a member of the Standards and Achievement Committee and the Pay and Review Committee and I am the lead governor for Early Years.
I work for the London Borough of Harrow as an Educational Psychologist (EP) within the Early Years team. Prior to qualifying as an EP, I have worked in a Youth Offending Service, a secondary school and a Social Services department. I am passionate about ensuring positive outcomes for all, especially vulnerable children and families.
I have two children aged 3 and 5, so my free time is their time! When I do have some spare time I enjoy curling up with a book. I worship at Our Lady and St Thomas of Canterbury church in Harrow, and I very much wanted to be a part of a faith school due to my own faith. I am honoured to be a governor at St John’s and thank everyone for making me feel welcome so far and hope to provide positive input during my time at the school.
Mrs Tracey James
I have 2 children, one who is still at St Johns. I have previously been involved with the PFA, where I held the position of Chair for 2 years. My professional background is in financial services and during many years in this sector I assisted numerous individuals and corporate organisations. I now run my own business supporting small to medium sized companies with planning, strategy, development and communication. I am a regular worshipper at All Saints Harrow Weald, where I am also a member of the PCC. With regard to the Governing Body, I am a member of the Finance and Premises Committee.
Mr Edwin Afeku
Elected Parent Governor
I am the Parent of young pupil and a toddler who is for-want of a better idiom – ‘champing at the bit’ to start at St John’s, so I have many years to look forward to at our wonderful school. My wife is a project manager at the British Library- a wonderful place to discover, learn, play and be inspired. My academic background is in oil and gas management with particular interest and focus on Health, Safety and Environmental issues. I currently work at TfL as an operational staff with responsibility for Health and Safety. My current role affords me the flexibility to work nights so I am able to really cherish these early years with my children. Prior to working for TfL, I was a relationship manager in a bank for 4 years. In order to make the best use of my time and expertise within the Governing Board, I will be serving on the Finance and Premises committee. As a parent Governor I will be challenging our school to strengthen its reputation within the wider community. I will also be supporting its Christian ethos, aims and values of providing a healthy and safe environment for our children. An environment that generates excitement and a sense of wellbeing about coming to school. An environment that recognises individuals and develops resilient children confident enough to always “reach for the stars”.
Mr Chris Tapp
I am a co-opted governor, appointed by the governing body.
I have been the Pastor of Stanmore Chapel since September 2018. Prior to that I spent eight years serving as an Assistant Minister at churches in St Albans and in the West End of London. Before going into full-time church work I was the Chief Executive of a national money education and debt help charity.
I am married to Erica and we have three children; all of whom currently attend St John’s. We feel very blessed to be part of the St John’s school community and so I am passionate, as well as personally invested, in seeing the school continue to progress and thrive whilst retaining its clear, Christian ethos.
I am also a keen player and watcher of sports, particularly football (especially my beloved Stockport County). As the son of two geography teachers I have also inherited a love of maps.
I chair the Christian Ethos Committee and also sit on Standards & Achievements.
Miss Kelly Kehn
An MBA graduate of NYU’s Stern School of Business, I work as the Co-Founder of All-in Diversity Project, a non-profit dedicated to helping businesses progress their Diversity, Equality and Inclusion efforts across the world.
I am mother to two children, George and Eleanor. George attends St. John's and is currently in Year 1. I hope my position as Governor will allow me to contribute to a school that has already given us so much support, love and happiness.
Having led businesses and teams in the US (where I'm from), Canada and the UK, I hope my business experience and my passion for people will contribute to the good works and future plans for the school. I love taking an active role in my family's life and this position will allow me to better understand the challenges the school is facing and use my unique perspective to drive change.
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Mr Dan Escott
I joined as a Foundation Governor in November 2021, having been appointed by the London Diocesan Board for Schools. Since then, I have served as a member of the Christian Ethos Committee and the Standards and Achievement Committee.
I have worked at Harrow School as an Economics teacher since 2019, also taking an active pastoral role in a boarding house and being in charge of several sports teams – my favourite sport being cricket, which I still enjoy playing as well as coaching! My other hobbies include chess and guitar.
I have had a passion for all things education for as long as I can remember, and I used to visit primary schools to help with Maths and reading when I was a student myself, something I still do now with a group of students that I teach. As such, I feel honoured and excited to be a part of St John’s governing body.I joined as a Foundation Governor in November 2021, having been appointed by the London Diocesan Board for Schools. Since then, I have served as a member of the Christian Ethos Committee and the Standards and Achievement Committee.
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