Tamworth High School welcomes new principal Paul Davis

He wants to know who their family is, what sports they play, what their favourite subjects are.

The new Tamworth High School principal said engaging with all the kids - and the community - was at the heart of educating, and a top priority for him.

"People over-complicate teaching, but if you can build a good relationship with the kids, they will learn," he told the Leader.

"I think - at its core - teaching is about relationships and building relationships."

Mr Davis has been at the helm of the high school for a few weeks, but has been an educator for 30 years, and working in Tamworth for more than half of that time.

"I feel a debt of gratitude for getting this opportunity in my town - a town that has given my family, my kids, my wife, everything, so I feel like I really want to pay that back," he said.

Mr Davis said he was excited and motivated to join the Tamworth High School team.

"I am really passionate about public education and what it offers - I'm a product of public education, my family is a product of public education, so I think it's a unique opportunity that we can help kids," he said.

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The first in his own family to finish Year 12, and go onto uni, Mr Davis knows the importance of public education.

"It's the thing that makes the difference in people's lives - education. The better educated we are, the healthier we are, the longer we live, the more money we earn, all those sorts of things."

He is determined to make Tamworth High School a first choice for all.

"Capturing the kids from our partner primary schools that should be coming here," he said.

"I want them knocking on my door and saying 'you're doing good things, you're engaging the kids, when they go to Tamworth High, they go to university, or they get employed, therefore we want to go there'."

Standing in front of a class is something that puts a smile on Mr Davis' face each day, and although it's a new challenge, standing in front of an entire school as principal hasn't changed that.

"The biggest thing is you can really initiate change and drive that change at a whole-school level, and even a community level, because our schools are part of our community," he told the Leader.

He said he's felt welcomed at the school, and is ready to provide some stability.

Mr Davis is a familiar face for many around town, having worked at Oxley High School since 2007, and been involved in sporting clubs.

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