Tributes have been paid to Rabindara Nath Pathak MBE, the former chair of governors at Featherstone High School, who has died aged 90. He was associated with the school for five decades and also served as Mayor of Ealing in 1987/88.
Mr Pathak, who was born on 24 March 1935, died on 15 February 2026. He was associated with the Southall school from the 1970s, joining the board of governors as a parent in 1974, before serving as a councillor governor from 1976 and becoming chair of governors in 1984.
During his time as chair, the school unified its two sites and oversaw the construction of the B Block classroom building in 1996. The school said he dedicated significant time to securing matched funding for a Sports Lottery award that helped deliver facilities including an all-weather Astro pitch, a multi-use games area and a sports centre used by pupils and the wider community.
In a statement, the school said: “We are deeply grateful for his five decades of dedicated service. Mr Pathak was instrumental in the growth and development of Featherstone High School. He supported the school through Ofsted inspections and oversaw the appointment of two Headteachers, Ms Thelma Cox and Mr Gerry Wadwa, along with many other senior leaders and staff who remember him with great respect and affection. He helped shape our school into the outstanding institution it is today.”
Mr Pathak also served as Mayor of Ealing in 1987/88 and was made a Freeman of the Borough of Ealing in 2002. As chair of governors, he lobbied Ealing Council for the reinstatement of the school’s sixth form, which reopened in 2010. He later guided the school through its transition to academy status in 2011/12.
In 2010 he was awarded an MBE for services to education. He stepped down as chair in 2014 after 40 years in the role, but continued to serve on the Grand Union Multi Academy Trust board until 2022.
