Clifton Beard

​I have a son, Theo, who joined CMS in intake 2020.
My governance journey began as a parent governor at St James’ CE First School, Gaunts Common, in April 2016 and since the start of 2020 I have held the chair, where I remain.  I have been involved with the entire journey of joining of an academy trust and have responsibility for health and safety and headteacher performance management.

I feel that I will never stop learning in governance roles and at times it has been a steep learning curve, but I have a strong belief in putting the interests of the children first in any decisions and am guided by my principle of doing the right thing by our values, even if this sometimes isn’t the easiest route.  I really value the opportunity to extend my experience into years 5-8 at CMS, in part because proper integration across schools and different academy trusts is very important for our children as they transition upwards.

My wife is a secondary school teacher who is extremely passionate about her work and the children she teaches, which has helped my understanding of the joys and issues facing education.

Prior to my governance roles, I spent 30 years as a police officer, the last 10 of which I served as a forensic collision investigator and expert witness.  Since retiring I have worked in motor insurance investigations, delivering defensive driving courses for company employees and in a busy local cafe.

Outside work I am a keen photographer, hold a 3rd dan black belt in the Korean art of Tae Kwon-Do, love travel and love music played back on the best ever format…vinyl of course!  I take Theo away skiing, camping and hiking and we love to visit air shows and drag racing, which satisfies our craving for mechanical things.  I have been fortunate to have scuba dived in many of the most interesting places in the world and to have met some impressive ocean residents.