Chris
Cresswell

Chris Cresswell joined NHGS in 2019 and is currently the Head of Upper Sixth. Chris is also a teacher of Drama, Media Studies and English. He previously taught for many years at Hipperholme & Lightcliffe High School, later Lightcliffe Academy, where he was the Head of the Arts Faculty. Originally from the north east of England, Mr Cresswell attended Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, where he met his wife who was from Sowerby Bridge. They returned to and settled in Yorkshire after graduating.

Mr Cresswell is a dedicated advocate for the Arts, especially the Performing Arts. In NHGS he co-runs the Performing Arts Company which produces the school musicals, the Shakespeare Schools Festival and First Bow. In the past he ran a successful youth theatre company that has helped a range of young people achieve success in the arts, including going on to careers in professional acting, directing, education, Arts development, theatre design publicity and radio presenting. Mr Cresswell has successfully introduced Drama as a subject into the curriculum at both of the schools he has worked at and been the lead teacher for Media Studies A-Level. He is also a qualified Advisor Assessor for Trinity Arts Award and leads the development and delivery of that at post-16 in NHGS. 

In his Sixth Form position he works with supporting Upper Sixth students with their academic progress, their pastoral needs and helping them with planning their next steps through the UCAS application process.

Previously, Mr Cresswell was the school’s NASUWT trade union representative and has been an active member of the union’s local Calderdale Association. acting as President over several years. Through this role has also become a qualified and accredited Trade Union caseworker, supporting teachers beyond his own school.

Presently, Mr Cresswell is working toward his National Professional Qualification in Senior Leadership and hopes to move in a School Leadership over the coming decade.

Outside of school, Mr Cresswell is a father to three amazing children, acts as a member of the Civilian Committee for 250 Halifax Air Cadet Squadron, has the unusual hobbies of scale model making and vintage toy restoration and is an all-round science fiction aficionado.