Melissa is the Deputy Headteacher at Sheringham Nursery School and Children’s Centre in Newham, London. Melissa has over 20 years of experience in early years education. Her commitment and passion for this field has been shaped by her time in the classroom, her role as a leader, and her personal experience as a parent of children with special educational needs. To ensure the best outcomes for all children, an evidence-informed approach to early years education is her priority.
Melissa is the strategic leader of East London Research School and A Brighter Start Stronger Practice Hub, where the mission is to ensure all educators have access to evidence-informed practice. Together with the research school team, Melissa has developed pedagogical strategies and professional development programmes to enhance the quality of interactions in early years settings. She is collaborating with Peeple to explore effective ways to support the home learning environment, with a focus on integrating STEM learning into everyday experiences.
Publications
Articles
James, F., Grenier, J. and Prendergast, M. (2023) Helping children in the Early Years to improve their communication: The impact of an eight-month programme of professional development. Impact, Issue 17, pp. 30-33
Ang, L., Grenier, J., Harmey, S., James, F., & Prendergast, M. (2025). Supporting early years professional development to enhance high-quality conversational interactions in early childhood care and education settings: the ShREC approach. Early Years, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2025.2498717
Chapters
Prendergast, M. (2023). An evidence-based curriculum: Using the Early Years Toolkit to inform curriculum design. In J. Grenier and C. Vollans (Eds.) Putting the EYFS curriculum into practice. Los Angeles: SAGE, pp. 170–180
Campbell, C and Prendergast, M (submitted for publication). Professional development: Developing quality and improving outcomes for every child. In J. Grenier and C. Vollans (Eds.) Putting the EYFS curriculum into practice – second addition. Los Angeles: SAGE
Manners, L and Prendergast, M (submitted for publication). Physical Development. In J. Grenier and C. Vollans (Eds.) Putting the EYFS curriculum into practice – second addition. Los Angeles: SAGE
McTavish, A and Prendergast, M (submitted for publication) Expressive Arts and Design. In J. Grenier and C. Vollans (Eds.) Putting the EYFS curriculum into practice – second addition. Los Angeles: SAGE