Meet the Governors (ID 1097)

• Ed Holloway
  Chair of Governors & Community Governor
  Ed Holloway

  I'm Ed Holloway and I've recently been appointed as Chair of Governors at Mandeville.

  I live in the local area and have two children at the school, so you can often see me doing the morning drop-off.

  As a governor, my role is to work alongside the school's leadership team to help set a strategy for the school, and to provide support and challenge to the leadership team. However, it's important to remember that we don't get involved in the day-to-day management – that's the job of the headteacher and other staff.

  I feel so fortunate that we have such a wonderful school in our local committee, and am proud to be able to play a small role in helping it to continue to provide a fantastic education for every pupil.

  In my day job I work in the charity sector, currently as CEO of a benevolent organisation in London. Please don't hesitate to say ‘hi' when you see me around school.

• Cathy Longhurst
  Head Teacher
  Cathy Longhurst

  I came to Mandeville in 2001 after teaching in London in the early part of my career and have lived in St Albans since then with my family. I was appointed as the leader of the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 and then became Deputy Head Teacher in 2005. As the school is a designated ‘National Support School' I was asked to support a local school in challenging circumstances in February 2012 and enjoyed four terms as acting head teacher there before coming back to Mandeville as the substantive head teacher in September 2013.

  I am so proud of being part of Mandeville's journey to success. The school has almost quadrupled in size since I started teaching here and is unrecognisable from the school it was then. We have achieved so many great things in that time, including the slightly disruptive but very worthwhile £5.5 million building project and an outstanding Ofsted.

  I love the diversity that the children and families bring to Mandeville and the importance that we place on developing the whole child whilst not taking our focus away from continually striving to raise standards. Mandeville is such a happy environment for everyone who learns and works here, both children and adults, and every day presents a new and exciting challenge. That's why I have stayed so long!

• Laura Williams
  Associate Governor (Deputy Head)
  Laura Williams

  I became a governor in September 2015 afterjoining Mandeville in September 2013 as the Year 6 class teacher and Assistant Headteacher with a responsibility for Key Stage 2. The following year I moved to teach in Nursery and took the role ofEarly Years and Foundation Stage leader. It was a big change that I welcomedand an excellent opportunity to learn! I have become passionate about early education and using children's interests to achieve their next steps. I am extremely proud of the EYFS unit and team and believe we provide outstanding provision for our children. I love that everyday is different and totally led by the children and Ireally value the opportunity to have a role in setting children up ontheir educational journey.

  I undertook my teacher training in Essex after completing a Psychology degree at Nottingham University.Prior to moving to Mandeville, I spent 5 years teaching at St Peter's just half a mile away. I predominantly taught in Key Stage 2 and was on the senior leadership team with a responsibility for teaching and learning across the school. During this time, I also did a Masters in Education.

  In September 2015, I became the acting Deputy Headteacher and SENCo which became mysubstantive role in June 2016. It has been a fantastic opportunity and I have thoroughly enjoyed increasing my knowledge and understanding of inclusion and SEND within education.

  In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family and being active.

• Mandy Abley
  Vice-Chair & Co-opted Governor
  Mandy Abley

  I have worked in education for over 30 years, the last 11 of them as head teacher of Aboyne Lodge primary in St Albans. I have a degree in English literature from UCL, studied for my PGCE at the Institute of Education in London and returned there to complete a Masters in Educational Leadership and Management., and my NPQH.

  In 2017 I was invited to join the first cohort of the Herts for Learning Executive Head Teacher training programme and in September 2018 took over as headteacher at Templewood Primary in Welwyn Garden City, alongside my headship at Aboyne Lodge. I remained head at both schools until August 2021.

  I was appointed a local leader of education in 2013 and supported many schools across Hertfordshire, until I became a Hertfordshire Improvement Partner in 2017. While I have now retired from Headship, I continue to work as a HIP, offering support and challenge to school leaders across the County.

• Katie Ellingham
  Staff Governor
  Katie Ellingham

  I joined Mandeville in 2004 after moving to England from Australia where I had been a teacher for four years. After gaining my degree in psychology and history at Monash University, I then went on to secure a post-graduate diploma in education.

  My main teaching experience is in KS2 and I am now the phase leader for Year 3 and 4. I am very passionate about giving children a rounded experience in primary school by building academic confidence as well as developing lifelong resilience skills. I am qualified to teach the Penn Resilience Programme and the mindfulness programme known as. Breathe. Throughout my time at Mandeville I have lead many curriculum subjects and am currently in change of English across the school. During the last three years, I have taken on extra duties as a senior teacher and am often asked to demonstrate teaching and learning to less experienced teachers

  I have always enjoyed working with children and love the way that every day is different. Mandeville is by far the best school I have ever worked at, and I passionately believe in the principles which drive everyone to do their best for every child who walks through the door.

• Martin Reed
  Parent Governor
  Martin Reed

  I was born in the UK and have always had a passion for the arts. I have a BA in Graphic Design and a Post Graduate Diploma in creative writing. I lived in London for 10 years with my wife before moving to St. Albans in 2012. I have over 20 years experience in the world of advertising and marketing, with a mixture of self-employed and full-time experience.

  In terms of schooling background my mother was a primary school teacher for 40 years and I often helped in her classroom as a learning assistant. Mandeville continues to impress me with its inclusive attitude to child development and I cherish the opportunity to uphold that commitment to the school and local community.

  I have a son in reception and a daughter in Year 5, giving me daily exposure to both ends of Mandeville's learning journey. I work in the creative industry, and would love to contribute in any way I can and to particularly help children learn to expressive themselves creatively.

• Kelly Drew
  Community Governor
  Kelly Drew

  I have lived in St Albans since 2004 and have three children, my eldest left Mandeville in 2023 and is now at secondary school, my younger two are in year 5 and year 3.

  I was the PTA Treasurer from 2016 to 2019 which links to my background in Finance & Accounting.

  I am a Chartered Accountant and have worked in the NHS for over 20 years and have always had a passion for helping people, part of the reason I decided to say yes to the Finance Governor role.

  I'm really looking forward to joining the amazing team at Mandeville.

• Penny Slater
  Parent Governor
  Penny Slater

  My name is Penny and I live in Colney Heath with my husband, Luke, and our two daughters, Juliette and Marissa. Both our daughters have benefitted from a fabulous education at Mandeville: Juliette is now at secondary school and Marissa is ready to move into Year 6. We used to live in Tavistock Avenue hence the choice of Mandeville.

  When we moved in 2016, we couldn't bear to leave such a wonderful school, so we decided to commit to a daily commute. It has been well worth it as we have loved seeing our girls thrive in the Mandeville environment.

  I am a qualified teacher and have worked as a Deputy Headteacher in a Hertfordshire school. Now I work for a school improvement organisation called HFL Education. One of my passions is improving reading outcomes for pupils. I lead on HFL's Reading Fluency Project which is an intervention designed to significantly improve reading outcomes for struggling readers. This programme is used in schools across the country and is currently the focus of a Department for Education funded trial. I am proud that Mandeville was one of the very first schools in the country to engage in this programme.

  Beyond work, my hobbies include dog walking, yoga and reading. At one point, I was a member of 3 book clubs! I knew I was over-stretching myself when I was talking about the wrong book at the wrong club! Now, I have limited myself to one club, but I can still often have 3 or 4 books on the go. Please always feel free to stop me in passing and offer me a book recommendation.

• Patsy Harding
  Associate Governor
  Patsy Harding

  Having moved to St Albans in 2007 I became a parent at Mandeville in 2010 when my daughter started in Reception during the rebuilding project.

  I had previously worked as a buyer for a London Department store so have a background in managing budgets and financial accountability. I am now the School Business Manager responsible for the school's finances, HR, recruitment and contracts.