Amanda Smith

Deputy Headteacher - Queen's Qatar at Queen's Qatar

Speaker

Amanda Smith is Deputy Headteacher at Queen’s Qatar, an international school in Doha, and the founder of Speak and Grow®, a whole-school vocabulary and oracy approach designed to help schools build rich language cultures through consistent, evidence-informed practice.
With over 28 years of experience in education, Amanda has worked across teaching, curriculum leadership and senior leadership roles in both the UK and international sectors. She holds the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) and has a particular interest in vocabulary development, oracy, literacy and school improvement.
Amanda has led whole-school language initiatives that have demonstrated significant improvements in pupils’ vocabulary knowledge, confidence and classroom participation. Her work focuses on translating educational research into practical, sustainable classroom approaches that improve outcomes without increasing teacher workload.
She regularly delivers professional development for teachers and leaders and is passionate about ensuring that every child has access to the language they need to succeed academically and beyond.