Governor Photos & Information

Gill O’Hagan (she/her)

Position: Chair of Governors

Term of Office Expires: August 2026

I first became a Governor at Alfreton Nursery School when my 2 daughters attended. I live locally in the town and feel privileged to have been involved with this Outstanding Nursery School during the past 25 years.

Until retirement, I was a Secondary school teacher and my life long passion has been to support children and adults on their educational journey. Therefore, I endeavour to call upon my knowledge and experience within the field of education.

As Chair of Governors, I am committed to all aspects of the Nursery School, ensuring we offer the best opportunities for our children and families. Our Governing Body work hard to maintain a sound financial status for the school with innovative and exciting opportunities for all the School Team.

Category: Local Authority

Appointing Body: Local Authority

Committee Membership: Resources Management (RMC), Performance Management (PM), Governor at Unity Federation, Alfreton

Responsibilities: Safeguarding & Child Protection (inc Safer Recruitment), SEN, Inclusion, Link Governor, British Values, Curriculum Monitoring, Understanding of the World, Maths, PSED, Anti-bullying, Looked After Children, Covid 19 sub group, Complaints (Appeals)

Peter Ellse (he/him)

Position: Vice Chair of Governors

Term of Office Expires: September 2026

I have been involved in Alfreton Nursery 15 years, having had a business on Monk Road 20 years ago tts group. In my day job I’m CEO of cosydirect.com and cosyfoundation.com. I’m a patron of derby kids camp but I don’t like camping! I’m from a single parent family, a free school meals kid in Belper. Spare time is spent driving around with three teen children and tickling coco our dog, playing football and suffering Derby County. Feel free to contact and say hi! #LoveAlfretonnursery.

Category: Co-Opted

Appointing Body: Governing Body

Committee Membership: Resources Management (RMC), Performance Management (PM)

Responsibilities: Curriculum Monitoring (Link Governor Maths, PSED, Understanding of the World, ICT)

Amanda Hubball (she/her)

Term of Office Expires: September 2026

I am a teacher and senior leader at Alfreton Nursery School. I have worked in school for 25 years and am passionate about early years education. I have been instrumental in the successes of the school locally, nationally and internationally

I lead practice in school for mental health and well-being, provision for the more able learners, metacognition and enquiry based learning, inclusion and behaviour, maths and environmental education, along with the indoor and outdoor STEM curriculum.

As the mother of two children and passionate animal lover, I spend my life outside of school grappling with the delights and dramas of feeding animals, homework, princess dresses, cuddling children, cuddling animals, battling with ipads, washing the pots, puddle splashing . . .

Category: Staff

Appointing Body: Staff

Committee Membership: TLC

Responsibilities: Inclusion, Anti Bullying, Curriculum Monitoring, Mental Health & Wellbeing, Looked After Children

Laura Brown (she/her)

Term of Office Expires: September 2027

I am honoured to have been welcomed to join the governors at Alfreton Nursery. As a parent of two children I have been so inspired with the ethos and vision of the nursery during the short time that my daughter spent here.

I am a lecturer in Food technology for apprenticeships, having previously before children worked in the food industry as a technical manager for 15 years.

I hope to bring the skills and knowledge from my work to support the nursery in the future and maintain the outstanding reputation it has. I am passionate about embedding life skills at a young age to shape a child's future while educating children about sustainability and the opportunities ahead in STEM which Alfreton Nursery excels in.

Category: Parent

Appointing Body: Governing Body

Committee Membership: TLC

Nicola Bettison (she/her)

Term of Office Expires: April 2027

Hi I am Nicola, I have worked in Alfreton Nursery school for 15 years. I have a passion for Forest Schools and Gardening. You will often see me tidying up the amazing areas around the school. I am a Governor at two other local schools and am passionate about supporting the children and families in Alfreton.

Category: Co-Opted

Appointing Body: Governing Body

Committee Membership: TLC, Governor at Unity Federation, Alfreton & David Nieper Academy

Responsibilities: Curriculum Monitoring, Health & Safety, Complaints

Rachel Longmate (she/her)

Term of Office Expires: January 2026

Whilst I am fairly new to the Governing Body at Alfreton Nursery, I have been working in partnership with the team for a couple of years now through the School Direct ITT programme. In my working life I lead on School Direct and facilitate training for teachers both who are currently training and those who are early in their career. Formerly, I worked as a primary school teacher working as a SENDCo/Inclusion Manager in two separate large Sheffield schools and later as a Headteacher of a small Derbyshire Primary School. I am honoured to be part of the Governing Body at Alfreton working with the team, children and staff.

Category: Co-Opted

Appointing Body: Governing Body

Committee Membership: Teaching and Learning

Responsibilities: TBC

Louise Calow (she/her)

Term of Office Expires: February 2024

I’m Louise, and have been a parent governor at Alfreton Nursery since 2017. Both my children came to Alfreton Nursery and knowing what a fantastic start to their education it was, I wanted to give back what I could in service to the school and the wider community. Being a parent, I was most excited about showing them the world and all it can offer and Alfreton Nursery truly reflects this - the staff here are an inspiration for the children (and the governors!) and no learning is out of bounds or too much of a challenge. Professionally I am a property lawyer, so have a [boring] obsession with paperwork which is a useful skill to have! When I get any time to myself, you will find me either reading, gardening, walking, crafting or enjoying motorsport.

Category: Parent

Appointing Body: Elected by Parents

Committee Membership: Teaching and Learning

Responsibilities: Data, SDG, Well being and Mental Health and Anti Bullying

Neil Beeson

Term of Office Expires: September 2025

I am very honoured to have the opportunity to support Alfreton Nursery School in the capacity as a Governor. I have been employed as the School Business Manager at the school since September 2021. I have over 30 years’ experience in supporting schools in a variety of roles. The main focus over the last 20 years has been with Finance. Fifteen years with Derbyshire County Council, four with a large Academy Trust and recently a School Business Officer at Swanwick School and Sports college.

I consider myself very friendly, knowledgeable and approachable and I am looking forward to supporting the school in this role.

I have been a volunteer with the Scouts since I was 16, and have been a Beaver Scout leader for over 30 years. I find this to be very rewarding and an enjoyable.

I love sport, watching and playing. I regularly play football and tennis. I enjoy cycling around the lovely Derbyshire Dales.

I am married and have a son.

Category: Staff

Appointing Body: Co-Opted

Committee Membership: Finance and Resources

Responsibilities: Health and Safety

Rebecca Milburn (she/her)

Term of Office Expires: September 2026

Hi, I'm Becky, a recently appointed parent governor.

I feel truly privileged to be a part of such a wonderful team and hope to fulfil my role to the best of my ability!

Both of my boys have attended this nursery and I fell in love with the ethos of the school the day my eldest started. After several years serving as a primary school teacher, I have a passion for education, early years and ensuring children achieve , and have access to, the best possible outcomes to reach their full potential. This is why Alfreton Nursery feels so special to me as the children are the heart of the school and they all thrive and flourish.

I spend my spare time caring for my 2 lovely boys (and cleaning up after them !) , forever redecorating my home , enjoying nice food and spending time with my family and friends :)

Category: Parent

Appointing Body: Parents

Committee Membership: Teaching and Learning

Responsibilities: TBC