Central Staff Team

Sam Nixon
Chief Executive Officer

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 8 qualification.

Suzannah Kay
Trust Administration Manager

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

Paul Seeman
Improvement Director

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

In her part-time role as School Improvement Officer, Kelly is accountable for ensuring the educational success of the academies in our Trust and also for working with and improving schools who are preparing to join the Trust.  Kelly has a Masters in Education and is currently studying for a Doctorate.

In addition to the Central Team, we have a number of colleagues who combine roles in schools with central leadership responsibilities:

Mark Carlyle
Improvement Director & Executive Headteacher

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 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 for SEND

Nadine works for the Trust part-time as Improvement Lead for Special Educational Needs & Disability and also supports several schools as their SEND Lead.  She is a qualified teacher, SENDCo and Senior Mental Health Champion and has worked as a SEND Lead across both school clusters and a large MAT.

Jane Price
Trust Associate Headteacher & Improvement Lead for Teaching & Learning

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.