The Bernice McCabe Award

The PTI’s Bernice McCabe Award promotes and celebrates excellence in subject leadership, recognising departments that put quality subject teaching at the heart of the classroom. The £5,000 prize and trophy is awarded annually to an exceptional department which demonstrates the ethos and values of the PTI through their work within and beyond the curriculum. 

The winner of the 2024 Award is the Geography department at St Edward's College, Liverpool. Congratulations to John Wilkinson and his team. Also commended by the judging panel at the award ceremony were:

  • Design and Technology Department - Leeds West Academy, Yorkshire
  • Art and Design Department - St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole

Have a look at the work of these three departments by using the tabs at the top.

Above: 2024 Winner, John Wilkinson, Head of Geography at St Edward's College, Liverpool

Also commended in 2024 were:

  • Art Department - Robert Clack School, London
  • Design & Technology Department - Lancaster Royal Grammar School, Lancashire
  • Geography Department - Leeds West Academy, Yorkshire
  • English Department - William Farr CofE Comprehensive School, Lincolnshire
  • History Department - Queen Katharine Academy, Peterborough
  • MFL Department - Holland Park School, London
  • MFL Department - Queen Katharine Academy, Peterborough

Bernice McCabe OBE, who sadly passed away in February 2019, was the founding Co-Director of the PTI and believed in the transformative power of inspiring subject teaching. To remember Bernice, and to promote inspiring work driven by the values of the PTI, we have created the Bernice McCabe Award. The Bernice McCabe Award is awarded annually to a practising subject leader in a PTI member department.

Previous Winners

2023, Geography Department - Thomas Tallis School, London

2022, Maths Department - Leeds West Academy, Yorkshire

2021, Geography Department - Broadway Academy, Birmingham

2020, Music Department - Mounts Bay Academy, Penzance