Richard Aggus

School: The Nobel School

Location: Stevenage

What impact do you think you have had as a governor?

I feel I have influenced aspects of the school for the better – from helping recruit the right headteacher for the school to shaping the vision and achieving more robust monitoring of progress.

What have you personally taken from being a governor?

Over the years I have taken many lessons from school into work. The honesty of our students inspires me to cut through woolly ‘corporate speak’. Then there’s working outside your comfort zone – education can be foreign to most of us, but the issues can be common concerns to business. Working in an unfamiliar environment brings out a different mind-set.

What would you say to someone considering volunteering?

I think people should volunteer if they want to make a difference to the education and employment prospects of our young people – after all they are the ones that will help pay for your pension. Don’t do it to add something to your CV.

Given the national shortage of governors I would recommend people look at it Inspiring Governance.  It gives a good overview of what it takes to be a governor.

More volunteer case studies