Meet our Governors

Mr Nick Power -Co-Chair of Governors

My name is Nick Power, and I have been serving as a co-opted Governor at Grafton Primary School since October 2024. Alongside Abbas Ali, I have the privilege of acting as Co-Chair to help lead the governing body.

I bring over 25 years of experience in education, having taught in schools across Barking and Dagenham, Havering, and Essex. During my career, I have held a range of leadership roles including Head of Science, Head of Year, Lead Practitioner, and I am currently an Assistant Headteacher. My passion lies in teaching and learning, an area I lead in my current school.

I am excited about the opportunities that being a Governor at Grafton will bring and look forward to contributing to the school’s continued success, while sharing my experience to support its vision and values.

Mr. A. Ali - Co-Chair of Governors

My name is Abbas Ali and I have been a Governor at Grafton for more than 4 years. In early 2025, we set up the Finance Committee and I was elected to Chair this Committee too.

I have also been a Parent at Grafton since 2013. 

In my professional career, I am a Senior Chartered Accountant/Auditor at an international bank and bring over 20 years of a wide variety of experiences in finance, budgets, management, risk and governance needs. As someone who grew up in similar surroundings and circumstances to a lot of our students and parents; I value and understand how important education is to us all. 

I want to use my skills, experiences and knowledge to work with parents, the school leadership team, our staff and the wider community, so all our children can have the best access to education and support to develop and grow that will help them later in their life.

You will see me on most mornings doing the school-runs, so feel free to say hello. As always, the Governors are happy to talk and listen to your ideas and feedback. We look forward to a rewarding year for all at Grafton.

Mr. K. Rajaram - Co-opted Governor

My name is Kamesh Rajaram and I have been a co-opted Governor at Grafton Primary School since May 2019. I have over 20 years’ experience in IT & Business Consulting within the Insurance Industry and Accounting & Finance. I strongly believe quality education is the bedrock of the future generations and I am very much looking to contribute in this role to enable maintaining the ‘Outstanding’ status. As part of my role as Governor, I am the Vice-Chair and responsible for Link Governor for Fundraising, Finance and Resources.

Cllr S. Ghani -   Local Authority Governor

Councillor Syed Ghani has been a Cabinet Member for Public Realm since May 2018 and has represented Valance Ward since 2014. Since 2014, Cllr Ghani was elected Chair of Assembly twice in 2017 and 2018; held the position of Deputy Chair of the Ceremonial Council from 2016-2018; has been a member of the Living and Working Select Committee; sat on the Children Services Select Committee and the Development Control Board. He also serves the borough as an advisor to the Adult College of Barking and Dagenham and as a school governor at Grafton Primary School in his own ward. Syed is also a Trustee of Barking & Dagenham Council for Voluntary Services (BDCVS). Syed Ghani’s regional responsibilities include membership of: Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee; London Councils Transport and Environment Committee, East London Waste Authority. Syed is also an Associate member at Chartered Institute of Legal Executive (ACILEx), a member of Unite Trade Union, a member of Amnesty International, a member of The Fabian Society and a professional member of the Institute of Leadership Management UK. He has also previously held positions in local government, including as a Members Services Officer. Councillor Ghani holds an MA in Marketing and an LLB (Hons) degree. Syed lives in Barking with his wife and two children. As a resident of the borough, giving something back to his community is extremely important to him. His main goal is to represent everyone’s interests and make sure residents are treated fairly irrespective of their gender, race or culture.

Ms. H. Cover-Kus - Co-opted Governor

As the proud parent of Sebastian and Alexander, students at Grafton Primary School, I am honoured to serve the school as a co-opted Governor. I am a public policy specialist with over ten years’ experience working in the public sector at the local, national, and international levels.  I currently work for an intergovernmental organisation where I support developing countries to address their economic development challenges. I bring my experience, skills, and passion for the school and community to the Governor role. I enjoy baking, jogging, and word puzzles in my spare time.

Mrs. M. Miller - Staff Governor

My name is Michelle Miller and I am a staff governor at Grafton Primary School. I also have three children, Jacob who is in year 2 and two older children who also attended Grafton. I work in the Nest, which is an in school intervention space for children with additional needs. I feel that being a Governor, I can provide both staff & parent views regarding discussions on improving areas and continuing our practice as an ‘outstanding’ school.

Miss. M. Thomas- Staff Governor

Hi, my name is Melissa but many of our pupils will know me as Miss Thomas. 

Before becoming a teacher, I was an e-Commerce and Marketing Manager for an online fashion retailer but later found my love for teaching. I have been teaching at Grafton for over 7 years and can honestly say I have never looked back. 

Several years ago, I was appointed KS2 Reading Lead where my role entails monitoring and improving reading across the school as well as implementing new ways to foster a love of reading. I am also part of the RSJ Team ( Race and Social Justice Team) where I am responsible for ensuring that our curriculum and practices reflect our diverse community. I became a co-opted Governor in December 2022 making me the newest member of a committed board. I look forward to bringing my experience of teaching and love of reading to serve our school and community as best as I can. In my spare time I enjoy cooking, travelling, visiting galleries, reading and playing basketball during the warmer months.

Mr Adam Robbins -Vice Chair of Governors

I started my teaching career at Grafton Primary School as a newly qualified teacher in 2007. 17 years down the line, I am now headteacher at Roding Primary School, another local Barking and Dagenham primary school. In summer 2024, I was privileged to be elected to the Grafton Governing Body. I am passionate about education and look forward to rejoining family and supporting the school and local community.

Rafia Ajaz - Parent Governor

I am a proud parent of Ibrahim a pupil at Grafton Primary School. I am honoured to serve our school community as a parent governor. 

I bring a diverse professional background, having worked in the telecommunications industry in the UAE for couple of years before moving back to England. I worked as an information controller with a leading construction company in UK. I also had a privilege of contributing to the construction of Oxlow Bridge school in Dagenham. 

Currently I am studying  Health, Social Care and well being, with a particular research focus on SEND and autism. I have completed  an  the the Autism related course with National autistic society and undertaking the training in positive parenting program. I am especially interested in developing my understanding of legal framework surrounding SEND to support children and families. 

As a parent governor, I will be bringing my professional skills, lived experience and strong passion for SEND, to support the school, its pupils and the wider community. I look forward to working collaboratively with staff governors and parents.  

Migena Karaj - Parent Governor

My name is Migena Karaj and have been recently appointed as a parent governor. I'm delighted to be part of the governing board at the school my daughter attends. I am committed to contributing positively to the school community and particularly passionate about children's wellbeing and education. Working in the private education sector as an IT Procurement Manager, I hope to use my professional skills, alongside my collaborative and thoughtful approach, to support and strengthen Grafton wherever possible. I am keen to listen to parents views and look forward to working with staff and fellow governors to support the schools continued success. 

Rachel Kaye - Co-opted Governor

I became a co-opted governor at Grafton Primary School in March 2026, and I am delighted to be part of the school community.  I have over 20 years of experience working in schools across East London and currently work as a Deputy Head Teacher in a primary school in Redbridge. I bring extensive experience in early years education, curriculum development, teaching and learning, and safeguarding. I firmly believe that every child can become the best version of themselves, regardless of their background or any barriers they may face. High-quality education, underpinned by an ambitious and responsive curriculum alongside strong pastoral care, plays a vital role in making this possible, providing the strong foundation every child deserves. I hope to use my experience to support the school community in every way I can.  I look forward to working closely with staff, governors, and families to support the continued success and development of the school.

Yasmin - Co-opted Governor

I currently work for a charity called Age UK Camden, this is a national Charity and I

am part of a large team in Information & Advice Service section. My role involves supporting team members, auditing case files, seeing clients, assessing welfare benefit status, social care packages, housing benefits, debt assessments and referring people where necessary to ensure each client is being looked after under the standards of safeguarding. I have great listening skills, empathy, understanding of cultures, attention to detail and providing advice where required or researching to find the appropriate places to connect them with. I have working knowledge and experience of recruitment practices, in my current job, I have been part of interview panels when recruiting staff and volunteers, ensuring they adopt the core principles of work ethics, supporting them in retention ensuring HR policies and procedures are followed. My working experience has involved working with other service providers such as police and social services in matters of safeguarding issues; I have interacted with external agencies to make sure resources available are used. My two children are attending Manor Primary School and are in year 1 & 6, my nephew attends Grafton Primary School and is in year 5. Ever since my child started reception in September 2019 I took a keen interest in the education system and

wanted to be involved. I attended the workshops and lessons that were offered by Manor Primary school such as phonics session, safeguarding, and voluntary reading. I am looking forward to taking on the role as Co-opted Governor, learn and understand the schools procedures, systems and policies, offer my knowledge and experience to ensure the school continues to develop.