Meet Lee Bushby 
‘I became a School Governor to challenge myself and to be able to develop in an area outside of my normal day-to-day role, where I could use my skills and experience to provide assistance to the education system. It is also an opportunity to work with those who are responsible for educating the future of the UK’.
Lee is originally from Whitehaven, Cumbria where he left in 1990 to join the British Army at the age of 16 ½. After a career in the UK Armed Forces, where Lee served on various UK Military Operations in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan and a plethora of UK Military deployments, he finished as Warrant Officer Class One with the Royal Logistics Corps.
He now works as a Civil Servant with the Cabinet Office as the Head of People Planning for the Places for Growth Programme in the Office of Government Property.
Use My Skills And Experience
‘I was lucky that I joined a new Local Governor Body (LGB) that was just being formed within the Multi Academy Trust and was able to join in with some of the Interim Executive Board (IEB) discussions with the school, so I had a bit of exposure before sitting down with the Chair of the IEB to consider if I was suitable for the LGB role’.
Lee hopes to help Luckwell Primary School develop within the MAT and to get Luckwell back onto the map as the 1st choice school for the local area and a school that the local community are proud of and feel part of the school.
An Enjoyable Experience
Lee found the Inspiring Governance service helpful and intuitive.
At first I found it a little bit daunting, trying to understand how I could use my skills to assist with schools and where I would best fit, but overall it was an enjoyable experience and fairly easy to navigate.
And Lee would recommend becoming a School Governor to a friend or colleague.
Great Opportunity
‘I think this can be a great opportunity for people to enhance their skills outside of their normal work. I would really encourage those who have just entered a full time profession to consider becoming a Governor. This would provide them with some real challenges and experience.
Volunteering as a School Governor can be busy, but this is where time management and resilience are important, and learning that you do not need to over-commit yourself whilst working full-time’.