EYFS
Early Years Foundation Stage
Generate Teaching Hub’s staff team includes Amanda Quirk, a highly experienced Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) consultant and teacher. Amanda leads our Early Years work, sharing her expertise and enthusiasm for this vital educational stage.
Linked from this page you will find information on:
• Amanda’s EYFS Blog
• Applying for an NPQ in Early Years Leadership
• Accessing the new Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs
• EYFS CPD
• EYFS Research & Resources
Impacting Classroom Practice
During her 30 year career, Amanda has amassed a wealth of practical knowledge and resources to share with colleagues. She is a sought after expert to whom school leaders turn to when they need to implement change in the classroom quickly.
Amanda is also a highly emotionally intelligent consultant, working with colleagues’ strengths to elicit sustained improvement. She maintains an up to date knowledge of policy and curriculum change to bring wider good practice into the classroom.
Working across the North West region, Amanda has led a number of large and successful projects with in-school interventions including:
- A staff member for the newly formed Liverpool City Region & Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub. In this role, Amanda provides training, guidance and advice to nurseries, PVIs and childminders across the region.
- Being the Area Lead for the DfE’s Early Years Covid Recovery Programme in Warrington, Manchester and Trafford. In this role she coordinates Experts and Mentors to provide advice and support to local EYFS settings.in Warrington. Amanda coordinates Experts and Mentors to provide advice and support to local EYFS settings.
- The Make A Difference project, a programme of CPD and support to EYFS practitioners in 56 schools in disadvantaged areas across seven local authorities with 2,000 children. Evaluated by Cumbria University the programme made a tangible difference to children’s literacy. The project was as effective for children identified as disadvantaged: 97% of participants reported some level of impact, with 58% at a high level of impact.
- Maths and Boys’ Literacy Extended (MABLE) was a celebrated project introducing an approach to EYFS practice aimed at improving math and boys literacy outcomes in Early Years settings across the North West. Focussed on disadvantaged areas in Warrington, Halton and St Helens the project reached 52 PVI providers and 38 schools that were achieving low development scores. After involvement in the project, we found that significant improvements had been identified in maths, boys’ literacy, children’s development, early years teaching practice, teaching environment, parental engagement, transition and moderation.
- Amanda is also working with several schools and Local Authorities across the North West and West Midlands, on a long term basis, to sustain improvements to the curriculum offered and mentor EYFS leaders to maintain this change. She provides training and mentoring to our EYFS Trainee Teachers on the School Based Initial Teacher Training programme.
- Amanda our EYFS expert is delivering an annual programme of workshops around self-regulation, speech, language, and communication for teachers within Early Years settings. It is called S.E.L.E.C.T. Started back in 2022, the current series is fully booked. Interested practitioners can message hub@wpat.uk to join our mailing list and hear first about further CPD opportunities.
