Elizabeth Cahill – Headteacher

Elizabeth was appointed as Headteacher of St Agatha’s Catholic Primary School in September 2013. As such, her position on the board of governors is Ex Officio. This means she is a member of the governing body by virtue of holding the Headteacher’s post. She sits on all the committees. 

Having qualified as a teacher in 1992, Elizabeth has taught across Early years, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 in Catholic Primary schools across Merton and Kingston. Previously, she completed a Law Degree and more recently a Master’s Degree in School Leadership. She is mother to two children, both at secondary school. 

Deirdre Doherty - Vice Chair / Resources & Audit Committee Chair

Deirdre was appointed a Foundation Governor in March 2016 and is the Chair of the Resources & Audit Committee as well as being the Finance Link Governor and ICT and Online Safety Link Governor. She is also the Internal Audit & Scrutiny Officer. She works closely with the school reviewing & monitoring the finances, including budgets, ensuring they support delivery of the school development plan.  Additionally she carries out duty visits on ICT to review relevant policies and the benefit that each aspect of the school's ICT provision has for pupils. She also will ‘champion' the school's use of ICT, ensuring that the governing board recognises its importance. 

St Agatha’s is a registered Charity; Deirdre is a Finance Director with wide ranging experience gained within the complex natural resources industry and the charity sector. Throughout her career she has lead and developed Finance, HR, Legal, Procurement and IT teams.  Currently she is a Chief Financial Officer at a social integration charity which works with young people aged 16-18.  Deirdre is keen that the school continues to thrive and remains financially sustainable and believes that with her financial management background she can add value to the school over the next few years.

Carolina Otero-Lopes - C&A Committee Chair

Carolina was elected Parent Governor in April 2019, and now chairs the Children, Families and Community Committee. She is also Link Governor for Survey and Parent Communications. As an insights professional she has worked for over 15 years for international companies driving brand strategy, conducting research, analysing data, monitoring trends, measuring performance and developing communications. She has also participated in her company's graduate program assessing and mentoring university candidates in their application process. 

Carolina has son and daughter who attended St Agatha’s but are now at secondary school. She is keen to help the school work closely with parents to support children's development and prepare them for the future.

Rebecca Murphy - Resources & Audit Committee Member

Rebecca joined the Board of Governors in June 2015 as one of our Parent Governors. She is a member of the Resources and Audit Committee as well as the Maths Mastery Link Governor. She is a Chartered Accountant with over 20 years’ experience working predominantly in a consulting environment, and currently works in Learning and Development for a professional services firm, supporting the business in identifying learning needs and developing appropriate solutions. 

Both Rebecca's daughter and son attended St Agatha’s and are now at secondary school.

Ben Olney

Ben joined the Board of Governors in November 2022.  He has a son at St Agatha's and a daughter who has been through the school and is now at Secondary School.  Ben is a qualified Town Planner currently working in the infrastructure/rail sector, he has experience in land and property matters, stakeholder relationships and public consultation. Ben is a member of a voluntary business partnership in the Kings Cross area which seeks to use the resources of businesses to benefit the local community and next generation, he is also a mentor to a year 12 student through the ORT mentoring scheme. As a new member of the Board he is keen to understand more about the education system and help and support the school leadership in the challenges they face.

Tom Hoyle

Tom was elected to the Board of Governors in November 2022. He has two daughters at St Agatha's. 

Tom has worked across the charity sector and in social business. He currently runs a corporate foundation focused on sustainable livelihoods in the emerging markets. Tom began his charity career in special educational needs policy and campaigning with Ambitious About Autism. He helped set up Project Harar, an NGO in Ethiopia providing access to surgical care, and has consulted for several charities, grantmakers and start-ups in the UK and overseas.

Tom studied NGO Management at Bayes Business School and holds degrees in international relations from the University of Leeds.