Governing Body

Chris Beswick’s background and career

After university studies in Cambridge and Nancy (in France) and post-graduate teacher training at York University Language Teaching Centre, Chris began his career as a modern foreign languages (MFL) teacher and head of faculty in comprehensive high schools and in a sixth form college. He wrote and co-wrote several French text books for schools and adult language guides, as well as working with Thames Television on school television broadcasts for A-level students of French.

He was appointed district inspector for MFL for Manchester City Council in 1983, as general inspector for a group of Manchester primary, secondary and special schools and as a member of the specialist secondary inspectorate team.

His work in MFL teaching, publishing and advisory work was given due recognition by the French government by his inclusion in the national honours list of 1989, when he was appointed Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques, for services to French language and culture.

He worked nineteen years in all as a local schools inspector, with four years as senior inspector/principal school improvement officer, and in that time worked as one of the first lead inspectors for Ofsted and trainer and assessor of Ofsted inspectors.

He also took a leading role, initially as a senior inspector but subsequently as an independent consultant, in developing and implementing the assessment and reporting model for the Manchester Healthy Schools award scheme, in partnership with National Health Service colleagues.  

Since 2002, he has operated as an independent education consultant, mainly working with senior leaders and governors in good and outstanding primary, secondary and special schools in Manchester and a number of other neighbouring local authorities, particularly those in Cheshire West and East. A central aspect of this work has been providing support and challenge for school leaders and governors in the fields of school self-evaluation and school improvement planning. His brief has also included work with school leaders and governors on vision-setting in schools in Manchester, Cheshire and Yorkshire, as well as extensive work with a multi-academy trust on developing school improvement and school-to-school support strategies.

He worked as a consultant with many of the Manchester secondary schools in their applications for specialist status. Since 2013, he has worked with a dozen or so schools in different local authorities on their applications for accredited teaching school status. He served on the strategic board of the large Manchester teaching school alliance which covers the 3-19 age range.

He also worked as a facilitator for a group of Manchester schools who operate a peer-to-peer support and challenge model. He acted as the external adviser for headteacher appraisal for five governing bodies.

He has just completed nearly a decade as Vice Chair of local governing body, within a multi-academy trust, and as chair of the curriculum, quality and standards committee. He has now stood down from these roles but continues to serve as a valued governor and member of the school improvement IMPACT group.