Bernice McCabe OBE, who sadly passed away in February this year, was the founding co-director of the PTI and believed in the transformative power of inspiring subject teaching. This Award has been created to remember Bernice and to promote and celebrate excellence in subject leadership in schools and will be awarded annually to a practising subject leader in a PTI member department.

The prize consists of £5,000, which is to be used to advance the values of the PTI within the winner’s school, to fund release time and travel to visit other schools and disseminate the work which has been recognised by the Award. 

The judging panel will consist of Professor Steve Munby CBE (Chair of the Teaching Awards Trust), Carolyn Roberts (PTI Co-Director), Rod Mackinnon (Bernice’s husband, former Headteacher, and Education Consultant), Professor Dame Alison Peacock (CEO of the Chartered College) and Professor Helen Cooper (formerly Head of the English Faculty at Cambridge).

Chris Pope, Co-Director, The PTI, said: “We are so pleased to have this opportunity to celebrate the wonderful work these departments are doing in their schools. Bernice was proud of the inspiration that the PTI brought teachers, and every nominee has furthered those aspects of education that she was so passionate about – transforming life chances for children through high quality and passionate subject specialists.”

Nominees are as follows:

  • Art, Avonbourne Girls' Academy, Dorset
  • Art, Hinchingbrooke School, Cambridgeshire
  • English, Duke's Secondary School, Northumberland
  • English, Oakwood Park Grammar School, Kent
  • Geography, Hinchingbrooke School, Cambridgeshire
  • History, Lancaster Royal Grammar School, Lancashire
  • History, Upton Hall School FCJ, Merseyside
  • Maths, Launceston College, Cornwall
  • Maths, Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet, Hertfordshire
  • MFL, All Saints Catholic School, Essex
  • MFL, Lancaster Royal Grammar School, Lancashire
  • MFL, Robert Clack School, Essex
  • MFL, St Angela's Ursuline School, London
  • Music, Mounts Bay Academy, Cornwall
  • Music, The Bushey Academy, Hertfordshire
  • Science, Brighton Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College, East Sussex
  • Science, Heath Mount School, Hertfordshire
  • Science, St Angela's Ursuline School, London

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in March 2020.