Sir Michael Griffiths joins board of governors at Staffordshire school

Sir Michael Griffiths, who received his knighthood for services to education in the 2014 New Year’s Honours, is joining the board of governors at St Dominic’s, Brewood, to provide "even greater focus upon quality assurance." He has already started sitting in on lessons.

Wednesfield-raised Sir Michael is a former Ofsted inspector, has been a university lecturer in science education and was President of the Association of School and College Leaders in 2012.

He said: “Since first visiting St Dominic’s and meeting Headteacher Peter McNabb and his colleagues I have been enormously impressed with standards at the school.

“My role will be to promote the school’s efforts to ensure the good becomes excellent and the excellent becomes exceptional.

“In my own school we encouraged every single child to aim for the stars and many have achieved national prominence in their chosen field.

“I want every pupil at St Dominic’s to benefit from the wide range of experiences on offer so that they too can achieve the very best for themselves and so continue the long Dominican tradition of promoting growth in mind, body and spirit.”

Educated at Wolverhampton Grammar School, Sir Michael later studied Biochemistry at the University of York.

Gary Hartland, a director of St Dominic’s, said: "At the time I met him he was my teacher at Highfields Comprehensive School in Wolverhampton and we got to know each other better in later years as members of the Old Wulfrunians football and cricket clubs.

“Sir Michael has such a wealth of experience in education, for which he has been knighted, and we are delighted that he has accepted our invitation to join and advise our team at St Dominic’s so that we can tap into his vast array of knowledge and ideas.”