Becky came to Wingate Nursery in 1998, working as Deputy, alongside the previous Headteacher Paddy Beels, OBE. In 2014, Becky stepped into headship and has been instrumental in leading significant developments over the years, namely the opening of an Outdoor Nature School. Her passion and ambition is rooted in creating a culture and climate that respects and protects children and their childhood.      

Nichola joined the Wingate family in 2018 as an early tears teacher, before becoming deputy head in 2023. Her love of nature and the outdoors has been perfectly suited to influence the pedagogy at 'the cottage in the woods', our outdoor nature school. Nichola also delivers training to early years educators - both through our own professional development programme and also for EEF, the Education Endowment Foundation. 

Beata came to Wingate in 2019 and has been the key person for orange group, until 2024 when she asked to step into the role of allotment lead. Beata is particularly skilful at enabling children's 'big thinking' through complex construction projects, so we are really excited about how she will transfer these skills to her work with children in residence at the allotment with her.  Beata is originally from Poland, but has been living and working in the UK for more than 20 years. 

Sophie came to us on supply, initially supporting children with additional needs, but it wasn't long before we offered her a contract to become a fully fledged member of the team as the key person for the red team. Sophie is from a farming background and as well as being physically strong and resilient, she knows a lot about outdoor life, which is why she's leading the work at the cottage for now ... until we secure our next site - the farm! 

Tom is passionate about working outdoors and is perfectly placed to lead the Ramblers. He loves camping and being outside both at work and home with his wife and family. Tom is a positive male role model for our nursery children - a rarity in early years, so we feel very lucky to have him in the team.   

Burcu joined the wingate family in 2020 and although was fairly startled by our ethos and pedagogy when she first started, has grown into the educator role with so much confidence. She takes her role very seriously and works incredibly hard as a key person, helping to raise strong, confident children who love learning. Burcu enjoys supporting children with research - looking into things they find interesting but want to know more about. Burcu is a 'Communication Ambassador' and is highly skilled in supporting young children with speech and language difficulties. Originally from Turkey, Burcu now lives with her husband and son in Hartlepool. Burcu has recently been granted British citizenship which means we get to keep her here forever!

Caroline was (and still is) a parent of 2 children, Alfie and Penny, often helping out with events and fundraising. Caroline was a primary school teacher for many years, until she joined the wingate family in January 2025. She brings many skills with her, including music, singing and creativity, which we are really excited about uncovering.  

Hannah joined the wingate family many years ago, in our childcare organisation. She was initially baby room lead, before stepping into the role of manager. She led the team for 3 years before stepping across into school to join the nursery school team - as key person for the blue group. Hannah's nurturing nature is a welcome gift in school, which we all admire in her and aim to replicate, especially with our youngest children.  

Sarah is German, now living in the UK. She is parent to Ella, who was in nursery with us 2024-2025. Sarah loved our values and approach to early childhood education, asking us if Ella could stay in our school for longer.  We knew Sarah was quite special and approached her about joining us - potentially. She worked in travel agency, with no qualification or experience of working with children, so we guided her towards an apprenticeship, which started in September 2025.  Sarah has slipped beautifully into the team and is loving every minute! 

Amy is a parent to Frankie and Oliver, both of whom came to nursery. Amy is in her third year of an Early Childhood Studies Degree and has worked with us over a number of years, sometimes as a parent, sometimes as a volunteer, sometimes on placement and sometimes as a paid educator.  She is currently working 3 days a week, supporting Beata at the allotment and will join the team officially, once she's fully qualified.

Mel joined us in September 2025. She previously worked as a reception teacher in a primary school before applying to join our team. The majority of Mel's experience is with EYFS and year 1, but a year down the line, she's loving her time with 3 and 4 year olds. Mel currently works part time, so she is the key person for our 15hour children. 

Laura joined us in September 2025. She graduated from the University of Sunderland with QTS in 2020, and brings vast experience of working in various early years contexts. Laura has worked as a nursery class teacher in a primary school, a teaching assistant in a private setting and also an educator in an outdoor nursery school in a neighbouring authority. She is perfectly placed to lead the team in Small School. 

Kate was also a parent, before she applied to work at Wingate. She started by doing voluntary work with us, until a vacancy to apply popped up. Kate works with our youngest children who are 2 years old and has done this at our outdoor school, 'the cottage in the woods' and in school. She works alongside Amy and together they are loving their time with the little ones. 

We first met Amy as a parent, before she applied to work alongside Elaine in the kitchen, preparing meals and supporting the children with lunches. She also helped out with cleaning on occasions, too. Amy soon expressed an interest in working directly with children and so whilst undertaking a qualification in childcare, she did some voluntary work with us. Amy is now employed and is a key person to a small group of younger learners.

Tracey has been working in Wingate Childcare for many years, but side-stepped into Small School in 2026. She brings years of experience with her, which is invaluable as we navigate our way with the youngest children in school now. 

Tammy joined us in September 2026, bringing with her several years experience of working with children during her time whilst living in Northern Ireland. Tammy has extensive experience of teaching in a variety of settings with children of different ages, including those with additional needs. Tammy is originally from South Africa, but has been living in Ireland for the past 4 years before moving to England during the summer of 2026. 

Suzan joined the Wingate family in September 2026, working in Small School to support our youngest children. Suzan has worked in various contexts, with children of various ages and so brings a warmth and wealth of experience.  Suzan is originally from Turkey, but now living in Durham with her family. 

Beth spent a year with us in Big School, supporting children who met the criteria for early years pupil premium. However, in September 2026, she moved into Small School to be a key person with our 2 year olds, whilst undertaking an apprenticeship in Early Years Education. 

Steph works full time with us - currently through a supply agency. Steph has lots of experience in supporting children with additional needs and currently travels around all our sites to support our children wherever they may be.