Meet the Governors
Welcome to our Governors’ section.
Following the conversion to Christopher Nieper Education Trust on 1st May, this information is in the process of being updated.
Governing Board Register of Business Interests- 2024-2025:
Academy Governing Board:
Chair of Governors - Victoria Merrick
Clerk to the Governors- Nicola Leach (CNET, Trust Governance Professional)
- Parent Governor - Isabel Petch
- Staff Governor - Vacancy
- Co-opted Governor - Lynn Beeson
- Co-opted Governor - Victoria Fawcett
- Trust-appointed Governor- Helen Suffolk-Adams
- Headteacher - Miss S Street
No members of the Governing Board are related to any staff members, nor do they have any business or pecuniary interests in the school. All Governing Board members have full voting rights.
Any enquiries should be addressed to Mrs Victoria Merrick, c/o Mickley Village Primary and Nursery School, Milton Avenue, Stretton, Alfreton, Derbyshire DE55 6GG
Telephone number 01773 832707
Photos and Bio's of the Governing Board- coming soon!
About our School Governors
Victoria Merrick:
I'm honoured to be serving as the new Chair of the Academy Governing Board at Mickley Village Primary and Nursery School. I’m also a Trustee for Christopher Nieper Education Trust, I sit on the Standards Committee and am the link Safeguarding Trustee and sit on the Board of a maintained Primary school in Nottingham City.
I’m a proud teacher, school and multi-academy trust leader myself and after 20 years working within the education sector in the East Midlands, started my own education consultancy company in 2022, working to support education professionals make good decisions for their pupils. As the CEO and Founder of Merrick-Ed Limited, I've dedicated my career to improving education, with a particular focus on curriculum development, assessment strategies, and using data effectively to help pupils succeed.
I understand how important our children's education is and that they only get one chance at their Primary school years, and I'm really looking forward to working alongside our Governors, staff and parents to support our school and help every child thrive.
Sara Street:
My name is Sara Street and I have been Headteacher at Mickley Infant and Nursery School ( Now Mickley Village Primary and Nursery School) for 18 years . I have been a teacher for 32 years and trained in Lancashire before moving to a very large first school in Kent where I taught Year 4 children. I moved back to Derbyshire 21 years ago to become Deputy Head at Wirksworth Federation of Infant Schools before taking up Headship at Mickley Infant and Nursery School. I enjoy working with children, parents and the wider community, helping children to aspire to being the best that they can be.
My name is Lynn Beeson and I retired as Headteacher of Croft Infant School in Alfreton in July 2021 after spending 7 years there. Before that I spent 14 years as a teacher in an infant school in Matlock, joining the school as a newly qualified teacher, progressing to senior teacher and leaving as acting Headteacher. When my son was younger I enjoyed going into his infant and junior school as a volunteer and it was this that spurred me on to achieve my dream of being a teacher. I trained at the University of Derby and achieved my goal in 2000. After I retired I felt I still had lots to give and was invited to become a governor here at Mickley. I was Chair of Governors for two years and I am proud to be part of the school community.
After several years of industry experience across a range of roles, I began my teaching career in 2011 at Ruskin Sports College in Cheshire. During my time there, I served as a Business and ICT Teacher and took on responsibilities in the absence of my Head of Department. My duties included leading curriculum reviews, tracking student progress in ICT across the school, and ensuring the effective operation of computer systems.
In 2012, I joined The Garibaldi School in Nottinghamshire, where I was promoted to Head of Business. Under my leadership, the department achieved ‘Outstanding’ status, with ‘Outstanding’ academic outcomes. Notably, in the Level 2 BTEC qualification, 100% of students attained results ranging from Distinction* to Level 2 Pass—an achievement that established us as the highest-performing Business Studies department in the Mansfield area.
In 2018, I joined David Nieper Academy in Derbyshire, where I have held several roles. Most recently, I have been working as a Teacher of Business, Employability, and Finance, as well as serving as the Careers & Employability Leader. In this capacity, I have successfully driven improvements in academic results and significantly enhanced the school’s Careers & Employability programme.
In addition, I have been serving as a Co-opted Governor at Mickley Village Primary & Nursery School since Spring 2024—a role I find both rewarding and inspiring. I am deeply passionate about empowering students to achieve their full potential while equipping them with the skills and attributes necessary for long-term success.
After completing her PGCE with an Early Years specialism, Isabel worked as a teacher in both primary mainstream and SEND schools before having her five children. Four are now at Mickley Village Primary and Nursery School.
She now runs an outdoor learning provision near Ashover on her smallholding and is a qualified Forest School Leader. She enjoys the outdoors, learning about nature, and spending time with her family.
It is a privilege to join the team of governors at Mickley Primary School and I am looking forward to being part of your community, getting involved and offering support.
Throughout my working life I have worked across the UK for organisations including the Probation Service, Civil Service, Local Authority, Financial Services and Education sector and this has really helped me gain lots of skills and experience that I hope to put to good use working with everyone at Mickley.
I also have volunteering experience as an educational mentor and with NSPCC ChildLine. I believe that children have the right to be happy and given opportunities to thrive.
In my spare time I love spending time with my family, I have two sons, recently became 'Nonna' to my first grandchild, I am a passionate gardener and enjoy walking with my husband and wire-haired sausage dog Orla.
Key Issues for the Governing Body of Mickley Village Primary and Nursery School for 2024-2025
Over the past 18 months, the school has continued it's journey to becoming a full primary school. Governors supported the school’s aim to use the school budget to fund all the additional resources required to enhance the teaching, learning and wider experiences of our current children through the school improvement plan and to prepare for becoming a full primary school in September 2025 when we will have all year groups in school.
The Chair of Governors attended meetings with the school’s senior advisor and visited school regularly to provide support to all staff, both relating to school improvement and staff wellbeing. Monitoring regularly takes place, with a particular focus on developing a progressive curriculum that demonstrates the key knowledge to be learned, and supporting the journey to excellence within the Early Years.
The Governing Board supported the school on its journey to join Christopher Nieper Education Trust, which officially converted on 1st May 2025.