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.