Governors

Rev Alistair McHaffie

Rev Alistair McHaffie

Foundation Governor

I have been the vicar at St Matthew's church since April 2018. Prior to that I was a vicar in Leyland (2003 - 2018) and of the Falkland Islands (1998-2003). Prior to ordination I worked for a pharmaceutical company for 5 years after a 12 year career in the army. I was brought up in Troon on the west coast of Scotland. I am a school governor by virtue of my position as vicar and am delighted to be able play a small part in the life of our school. I have enjoyed taking weekly assemblies over the past 2 years and have always been struck by the friendliness and warmth of both staff and children. My hope for our school is for the children to feel happy and safe and to have the opportunity to reach their potential as we prepare them for High School.

Tahir Hussain

Tahir Hussain

Local Authority Appointed Governor

I am Tahir Hussain and I started on the Governing Body in 2014 as a Local Authority Governor. I am born and bred in Preston and actually attended St. Matthews school as a child. I graduated from University of Central Lancashire in 1993 with an engineering degree and have since been working for BAE Systems at Warton. My job as a senior engineer involves a lot of travelling all over Europe. I am married with 3 children and settled in Preston. My favourite football team is Manchester United and my favourite car is a BMW – I have been driving one for nearly 20 years. My aim is to help develop the school to become one of the leading primary schools in Preston.

Mr Mackley

Mr Mackley

Headteacher
Ex-Officio

A key part of my role as Headteacher of St Matthew's is that I am a member of the Governing Body to work with them as well as be accountable to them for the running of our school. When I took up my post on 23rd April 2019 I automatically joined the Governing Body. My vision is simply for the school to live up to its Mission and Vision Statements so that we can do the best we can for the children. In my spare time I enjoy music, motorsport, time with my family and watching Leicester Tigers Rugby Club (even though their recent performance is somewhat woeful!).

Natallie Towers

Natallie Towers

Parent Governor

I was appointed as a Parent Governor in February 2021. I accepted this role so that I could play an active part in helping and supporting the school in moving forward. Providing an education which enables every child to fulfil his/her potential is paramount. I am married with 4 children, the youngest attends St. Matthew’s School. I currently work full-time at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Primary School as a Teaching Assistant. I have worked there for 13 years and I am passionate about children’s education. During my spare time I enjoy visiting family, socialising with friends and baking.

Irene Hanson

Irene Hanson

Foundation Governor

I was appointed as a Foundation Governor in November 2021 and am an active member of St Stephen’s Church which partners with St Matthew’s. I grew up in Ireland and on returning home from my first day at school I told my mum that I was going to be a teacher. And that is exactly what I did, eventually specialising in the Early Years which I found to be a very fulfilling, exciting and foundational part of children’s formal education. I have taught in Inner London, West Sussex, Bolton as well as Pakistan and Indonesia. Four years ago I took early retirement when we moved to Preston with my husband’s work and am now involved in a number of different roles including advocacy work, leading an Open the Book team and work with Safe Families. I am enthusiastic about being a governor at St Matthew’s as I believe these are the some of the most important years in a child’s life and I want to help the school to be the best that it can be in nurturing and fostering a love of learning in each child.

Mr Ward

Mr Ward

Staff Governor

Mr Ward is the Staff Governor here at St Matthew's. He has taught at the school for over 10 years and currently teaches in Year 6 to prepare children for their futures. He is responsible for Computing and Online Safety at St Matthew's and is great with technology. He lives in Preston with his wife, cat and a lot of lego!