The Local Authority
The Parents/Carers
The Community
The Staff
The Governing Body, Local Authority, Parents/Carers and Community share the responsibility for the school, the building and environment, and the curriculum.
The Headteacher is responsible to the Governing Body for the day-to-day leadership, management and administration of the school and the curriculum. We have a committee of Governors, who are volunteers interested in helping the school to be a full part of the local community and further develop our fantastic provision to support high achievement for all. We have regular meetings every few months to talk about the work of the school and plan future developments.
James Benn - Co-opted Governor and Chair of Governors
I have recently relocated to Ripley from ‘down south’ where I worked for many years at a children’s activity centre. Having started a new role as a School Business Manager at William Rhodes Primary School I felt I could offer a useful skill set to the governing board and hopefully contribute positively. Ripley Nursery school is already fantastic; both of my children attend and absolutely love the school and all the staff, they do an amazing job. My wife grew up in Ripley and attended Ripley Nursery herself so I have a great incentive to serve on the governing body. I also wanted to join the team to contribute to the continued success of the school and to ensure that all the children have the best possible learning experiences at all times. I believe that the foundations children are building in the early years will set them up for life. The role of early education is a massive responsibility and therefore I strongly believe the staff need as much support as possible from their governors to shoulder the load and to help develop every aspect of school through creative thinking, challenging the status quo and celebrating the successes.
I am Nicola Brown the new head teacher and governor at Ripley Nursery School. I am passionate about high quality early years education, having taught within the sector for over 24 years. I was a senior teacher at Ripley Nursery School from 2003 until 2015 and during the last 10 years I have worked in an advisory role, across the country supporting schools and nurseries to implement good practice from birth to 5 years. I have always maintained a close relationship with Ripley Nursery School and was on the governing body for 3 years prior to the Covid 19 Pandemic.
I live locally with my husband, 2 labradors and 2 older children, one of whom attended Ripley Nursery School in her early years. I am excited to be leading the dedicated staff team here, ensuring every child has an amazing start to their lifetime of learning.
Mrs Donna Brown - Assistant Headteacher and Staff Governor
I am the Assistant Headteacher and work full time at Ripley Nursery School. I consider my Governing body role to be very important. Through supporting our Headteacher Cathy to create an environment where every child can reach their potential, and also sharing first-hand experience of the teaching and learning taking place in our school with the rest of our governing body. I have lived in Ripley since I was a child, attending the local primary and secondary schools myself, therefore I feel a strong connection to the local community and want to ensure we continue provide an exciting, stimulating environment at Ripley Nursery School where children form the foundations to their education and are encouraged to be enthusiastic learners and investigators. I am also Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator (SENCO) and enjoy working in partnership with parents and outside agencies to provide excellent care and education for our children with additional needs. Outside of nursery I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, walking in the local countryside with my dog, listening to music, reading and skiing.
Mrs Kerry Hartwell - Co-opted Governor
I have been the Business Manager at Ripley Nursery since January 2020, prior to this role I worked at a secondary school in Chesterfield for 12 years as Assistant Business Manager. My son attended Ripley Nursery School and loved every minute of his time here - he would definitely come back if he was given the chance! My main role in school is to look after the office and administration including finance and HR but I also enjoy getting involved in fundraising projects and organising the Christmas parties too!
Sarah Somerset - Parent Governor
Ripley Nursery School is wonderful. The staff, facilities, environment are all second to none. I wanted to give something back as a parent governor. Whilst recognising how good the school is, it is important to keep questioning. Be that approaches to learning, how funding is allocated, how training is offered or the facilities that the children have available to them. My expertise in research help with this critique. Not only on a day to day basis but also to challenge the school to keep up to date with practice and take on board things currently happening in the education sector. Something the school does marvellously. The Early Years of a child's education are critical. Everything they experience during this early stage will shape the sort of lifetime learner they become. We have a real opportunity here to make their engagement with education and learning a positive one. I hope to contribute to this wonderful work in my role as a governor.
Lianne Mills - Parent Governor
Hello my name is Lianne and I am a parent governor at Ripley Nursery School. I can’t praise the school and it’s wonderful staff enough! I feel so lucky that my children get to experience the enriched and nurturing environment RNS has to offer. I have three children, one which has just left Nursery to go into Reception, one in the main Nursery and a little one in childcare so we are fully invested!
I hope to support RNS as much as I can through my 16 years experience as an Early Years Lead Teacher. I currently teach in an inner city Infant and Nursery School where we are constantly adapting our practise to meet the needs of our children. We are constantly reflecting and exploring new approaches and current research to ensure we provide the most effective and highest quality of teaching for our young children, which I truly hope I can put into use and benefit the school in my role as a parent Governor at RNS.
Lauren Dyer - Parent Governor
I joined as a Parent Governor in July 2024, shortly after my youngest son started in the Ripley Nursery School childcare. He is loving every second of his time, and goes in waving happily each morning, which is so lovely to see. As, I attended the Ripley Nursery School myself (25 years ago now) it felt right to put my time back into a place where my learning journey and friendships began. The early years are such an important time in our children’s life, it is an honour to even support a little bit. Currently, I work as a Finance Officer in a Children’s residential home company within the centre of Derby. Managing the funding for the children in our homes is a big reasonability of mine, and as well as maintaining a healthy cash flow, we believe a well decorated, supported, and homely feel for our homes is the most important thing for our young people. I look forward to extending my responsibility to the Ripley Nursery School, staff, children and families.
Lisa Langham - Co-opted Governor
Governor Vacancies
1 Local Authority Governor
1 Parent governor
1 Co-opted Governor