Andrew Matthews

My name is Andrew Matthews, and my daughter, Becky, is in Year 9. My eldest daughter, Nicole, has just left Davison and is now at college.

I was a governor at Davison for 4 years until my term of office ended in September 2012, and previously at my daughters' primary school. I have always worked hard to make sure that I have made a valuable input to the schools whilst ensuring that the parents' views are well represented. Being a governor means committing a large amount of time, a lot of reading, and being well prepared, which I would like to think I have always done. This also includes keeping up to date with a rapidly changing education system and being well trained and equipped to fulfil the role. I always keep the children's' best interests at heart, and remember that we are there for the children to ensure they have a good experience at school, and enable them to attain the best possible achievements whilst at school. I think it is important to listen to the pupils views, and I find the occasions that I spend in school and at school events very interesting and informative.

Whilst a primary school governor, my first meeting was the announcement that the school had gone into "serious weaknesses". During my time as governor of the primary school, I supported the school during a period of no permanent head, through the recruitment process to attract a new leadership team to the school, and helping the school through its development, until it finally achieved an outstanding Ofsted rating. The outstanding rating was as a result of the huge efforts made by the entire primary school, but I do feel that helping the school through that time has given me a wide variety of experience.

Thankfully my time at Davison hasn't had the same challenges, but Davison has achieved a lot during my time as governor. As Davison has such a great headship team, the work of the governors often goes unnoticed, but they are still a crucial part of the school to ensure standards are maintained and improved. The governors were instrumental in the decision making process of the new Diner, and are constantly trying to improve the children's' learning and the environment. With my knowledge and experience, I would like to continue to support the school on its journey and volunteer to take on this challenge for a further 4 years.

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