Professor David Cracknell

David Cracknell is Professor in Education at the University of Chester with responsibilities for Children’s Services Workforce Development and a university-wide Change Management Project connected with the Government’s “Every Child Matters” agenda.  His work on multi-professional leadership development has been sponsored by Merseyside Children’s Services through the Learn Together Partnership.  He is a member of the Equity in Education Centre Advisory Group at the University of Manchester. Between June 2005 and June 2008 he chaired the Blackburn with Darwen Education Improvement Partnership and the Blakewater College School Improvement Partnership Board. He  chairs the Board of Trustees of three charities including Adoption Matters NW (an adoption agency based in Chester, Manchester and Blackburn) and Cape UK (working to promote creativity in learning, initially in Manchester and Leeds but now across the country through DCSF and Creative Partnerships). 

As the current President of the British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society, a former President of the Society of Education Officers, Chair of the Virtual Staff College Board and Trustee of the National Children’s Bureau, he has had a close involvement in national policy developments. He is currently a member of the ADCS SPI Policy Group and Research Committee and represented the ADCS in the establishment of the Centre for Excellence and Outcomes launched in July 2008.

Until June 2005, David was Director of Education and Community for Cheshire County Council with responsibilities covering Schools, Youth Service, Family and Lifelong Learning, Libraries, Arts, Archives, Museums, Community Development, Social Enterprise, Trading Standards, Registration and Animal Health.  He also had a “patch” responsibility for Ellesmere Port & Neston.  He worked in Cheshire as Director for 15 years and before that in local authority management in Warwickshire, Leeds, Wakefield and East Sussex.  He began his career as a secondary school teacher and teacher trainer in higher education in Durham and Northumberland. There he studied and taught French and did research in Primary French, Public Administration and Management.  He has published on Performance Related Pay, Collaborative Management and Children’s Services, is a visiting lecturer at Keele University on their MBA and has undertaken consultancy for Government Departments in England, Northern Ireland and Jordan.

David lives in Chester, is married to Lesley who was also a teacher and they have one son who is an international zoo vet.