Matthew read History at Cambridge and after time in industry qualified as a teacher at the University of Durham. His first teaching post was at Manchester Grammar School. He moved to Nottingham High School as Head of History and then to Deputy Head at St Bede’s College Manchester for eight years.

Matthew was Headmaster of three schools over more than fifteen years. Firstly, Dover Grammar School for Girls and then St Aloysius’ College, Glasgow. His last role was as Founding Head  of Brighton College Vietnam.  A former Headmaster, National Leader of Education, and senior advisor at RS Academics, he has a deep commitment to educational excellence and the wellbeing of young people.

Matthew brings a wealth of experience from both the independent and state sectors, having led schools in the UK and internationally. 

In addition to Matthew's role as Chair of Governors at St Augustine's Priory and his work at RSAcademics, he is also a Member of the Scottish Children’s Hearings which champions the needs and rights of young people and families.

Matthew has worked sector wide on the boards of organisations such as HMC, SCIS and GSHA.

We are excited for the future of St Augustine’s under his leadership.

Margaret joined the governing body in 2020 and is a member of the Finance Committee.

Benefiting herself from a Catholic education, Margaret is passionate about the power of education to develop, empower and support young people.

After gaining a degree in mathematics at Birmingham University, Margaret qualified as a chartered accountant and has over 40 years’ experience at senior levels in major professional practices.

Her extensive business experience gained over a long, exciting and rewarding career includes: strategy, people development, risk management, data protection, and governance and compliance.

Having retired in 2019, she enjoys travel, skiing and sharing her skills and experience in various community and not for profit roles. She is currently chair of the audit committee of a national charity which aims to harness the power of sport to create positive change in the lives of disadvantaged young people across the UK.

Ben is chair of the Academic Committee and a long standing member of the governing body of St Augustine's Priory.

Ben was educated in Catholic schools locally and attended the University of Manchester studying Economics. He went on to train as a primary teacher, and later gained a M.A. in Catholic School Leadership from St.Mary's Twickenham. In his career Ben was headteacher of Catholic primary schools in Brent and Ealing, most latterly St Joseph's Hanwell, and was a consultant head to the diocese undertaking interim headships in schools in difficulty. He is now retired.

Ben is a committed Catholic and has been awarded the papal decoration Bene Merenti, and has also been decorated by the Order of St John in recognition of his service and leadership within St John Ambulance.

"I am very proud to be a governor of this wonderful school and as Chair of the Academic Committee to have contributed to its wonderful educational opportunities and outcomes for girls over many years."

"To see the pupils so confident in themselves and aware of their deep spirituality is a constant joy."

James has been Headmaster of Halliford School since September 2017 where he has enjoyed getting used to a very different pace of life compared to rural Cumbria where he was previously as Headmaster of a Boarding School.

He is a serving ISI inspector. A music graduate from the Universities of Sheffield and Manchester, Mr Davies has spent his career in teaching and has taught music at and held leadership roles in many independent schools across the north of England.

Mr Davies is an accomplished musician and as an organist and choral director, he has performed in most of the Cathedrals in the UK and many overseas. He is also an active member of the RNLI where he has served as a lifeboat man on both the East and West coasts of the UK being involved in many rescues and is currently working with their education department as there are as yet no RNLI stations in the Shepperton area. In his spare time, he is very involved with outdoor activities having organised student expeditions to Europe and Africa and he is a keen Scuba Diver and currently completing his instructor examinations. He comes from a sporting family where both his father and sister are British Olympians and so is no stranger to the demands of elite sports.

He has a passion for Safeguarding and has been Safeguarding Governor at St Augustine’s since 2019.

Jacqueline Job became a member of the Full Governing Body in 2022 having served as a co-opted member of the Academic Committtee since 2020. 

Jacqueline is a Headmistress of an independent all-through school in London. She has over 19 years leadership and management experience in both state and independent schools.

Among her qualifications, Jacqueline has a B.Sc. from Brunel University, a National Professional Qualification Headship from the Institute for Education and an MSc from Buckingham University.

She brings her experience as a governor of another West London primary school to St Augustine’s Priory.

Barbara lives in Ealing and was originally a St Augustine’s parent before becoming a Governor in 2019.

Since then she has chaired the Health & Safety Committee and more recently the Nominations & Succession Committee. Barbara is a world class health & safety professional with a PhD in Engineering and more than 20 years in the industry. Barbara developed her experience as Head of the H&S consulting and Compliance teams at AECOM and prior to that leading the compliance management team at ARUP. Barbara supports her clients in the development of corporate compliance policies and strategies combining health & safety with circular economy and ESG principles.

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Louise has a Master of Arts in English and Art History from the University of Auckland, New Zealand. After several years working in an Art Gallery, Louise relocated to the UK where she retrained as a Company Secretary.

Louise has held positions in both the charitable and commercial sector, having been the Company Secretary for The Work Foundation, an organisation seeking to promote the debate on good workplace practices, and Governance Manager at dunnhumby, who are responsible for Tesco’s Clubcard programme.

More recently Louise was employed for eight years as the Registrar at St Benedict’s School, Ealing. This role cemented her interest in educational excellence and the benefit of a Catholic education for young people that installs a sense of both self and service.

In addition to her role as a Governor at St Augustine’s Priory, Louise is a volunteer at Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery, famous as the home of neoclassical architect, Sir John Soane.

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