Education charity, the PTI, has announced the English department at Loxford School in East London as commended for the Bernice McCabe Award at a Ceremony last night at Merchant Taylors’ Hall. 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.
The Award has been created to remember Bernice and to promote and celebrate excellence in subject leadership in schools, recognising departments that put quality subject teaching at the heart of the classroom. A £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 English department at Loxford School were shortlisted for redesigning the curriculum to incorporate literary criticism to engage and challenge students in the changing landscape of English teaching. This included exposing Year 7 to Freudian psychoanalysis, introducing Year 8 students to second wave French feminism and encouraging Year 9 to engage with post-colonial discourse. At A level, the students were exposed to a performance of The Tempest over Zoom which was orchestrated by a team of inspiring English teachers to help bring the life to play for the students.
Carolyn Roberts, Co-Director, The PTI, said: “The PTI is thrilled to announce the English department at Loxford School as commended for the coveted Bernice McCabe Award. It is crystal clear that the winning, highly commended and commended departments shortlisted are truly passionate and enthusiastic about their respective subjects, which drives everything they do. The work being done in these departments is truly inspiring and will change young people’s lives”.
Professor Steve Munby CBE, Judge, said: “This year the judges were impressed yet again by the skill, passion and powerful subject leadership shown by each department shortlisted. These dedicated departments have gone above and beyond to inspire and enthuse their students in their subject field and the results are phenomenal”.
The £5,000 prize is 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. A trophy awarded to the winner was designed by award winning designer, Sophie Conran and will be passed onto future winners annually.
The judging panel consisted 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 the University of Cambridge).
