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 2025/26 winner was announced at The PTI Awards dinner on the 27th November 2025. 

The winner of the 2025/26 Award was the Maths department at Plashet School, Newham. They won for making significant strides in improving teaching and learning of maths as meaningful, engaging and accessible. Congratulations.

Above: 2025/26 Winner, Simon La and Sadia Ali , Maths at Plashet School, Newham with the trophy.

"Our PTI project has strengthened the academic ambition of our curriculum and transformed how students experience mathematics. By deepening subject knowledge, enriching classroom practice and showcasing the beauty and relevance of the subject beyond the syllabus, we have seen students grow in confidence, curiosity and independence. The project has also had a powerful impact on staff development, creating a more reflective and research-informed department with a shared vision for excellence." - Simon La, Head of Maths, Plashet School

The Highly Commended departments were:

  • Science - Southend High School for Boys
  • English - The Whitstable School

Find out more about each of the commended schools by clicking on the tabs above.

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

2024/25, Maths Department - The Warren School, Romford

2023, Geography Department - St Edward's College, Liverpool

2022, Geography Department - Thomas Tallis School, London

2021, Maths Department - Leeds West Academy, Yorkshire

2020, Geography Department - Broadway Academy, Birmingham

2019, Music Department - Mounts Bay Academy, Penzance