Meet Our Team (ID 1428)

• Sam Nixon
  Chief Executive Officer
  Sam Nixon

  Sam joined St Benet's as Director of School Improvement in 2020, was appointed Deputy CEO in 2022 and became CEO in January 2025. He holds a Degree in English, NPQH and NPQEL and is currently studying for a Henley Business School Level 7 qualification.

• Suzannah Kay
  Trust Administration Manager
  Suzannah Kay

  Suzannah joined St Benet's in 2020 after a career working as Executive Assistant to senior executives in the public and private sectors in London and Norfolk.

• Paul Seeman
  Improvement Direcor
  Paul Seeman

  Paul joined St Benet's in 2022 and was appointed Improvement Director in 2024. In his role he oversees school improvement for 8 of our academies.  Paul has an MA in Education, is a National Leader in Education (NLE) and a SIAMS Inspector.

• Kelly Stokes
  School Improvement Officer
  Kelly Stokes

  Kelly works part-time for St Benet's as School Improvement Officer and is accountable for ensuring the educational success of our academies with particular focus on English/literacy. Kelly has a Masters in Education and is currently studying for a Doctorate.

School/Central Staff (ID 1429)

• Mark Carlyle
  Improvement Director & Executive Headteacher
  Mark Carlyle

  Mark was appointed an Improvement Director in 2024. He combines his role as Improvement Director for the Waveney Valley Hub and Executive Headteacher of the Beacon Federation. Mark has a MEd in Educational Leadership & School Improvement from Cambridge.

• Laura Richardson
  Improvement Director & Headteacher
  Laura Richardson

  Laura was appointed Headteacher of St Mary's Junior Academy in January 2024, which she combines with her role as Improvement Director of the Tas Valley Hub. She has qualified as a Mastery Maths specialist and School Development Lead and has trained as a Walkthrus Coach.

• Nadine Avenal
  Trust Improvement Lead
  Nadine Avenal

  Nadine works for the Trust part-time as Improvement Lead for SEND and also supports several schools as their SEND Lead. She is a qualified teacher, SENDCo and Senior Mental Health Champion.

• Jane Price
  Associate Headteacher & Trust Improvement Lead
  Jane Price

  Jane joined St Benet's in 2021 as Head of Primary Phase at Harleston Sancroft Academy, and now combines an Associate Headteacher role in schools with that of Improvement Lead for Teaching & Learning. Jane is a qualified Walkthrus coach.