Plashet School recognised with PTI Bernice McCabe Award

The maths department at Plashet School in East Ham has won the PTI Bernice McCabe Award for 2025 to 2026. The award celebrates excellence in subject leadership in schools, recognising departments that put quality subject teaching at the heart of the classroom.

Plashet School works closely with London North East Maths Hub and has been involved in the development of teaching for mastery approaches to maths for several years. The school’s approach, detailed in a recent NCETM feature, highlights a strong collaborative culture, a coherent curriculum and a commitment to developing deep understanding for all students.

Charlie Stripp, the NCETM’s National Director, said: ‘It's brilliant to see the maths department at Plashet School in East Ham recognised with this prestigious award at the PTI. The teachers were thrilled to have their work recognised. They’ve engaged enthusiastically with their local Maths Hub and their adoption of teaching for mastery, with its emphasis on developing deep understanding and reasoning for all students, is clearly working really well.’

Simon La, head of maths at Plashet School, said: ‘Our work with the NCETM through the Maths Hub has had a transformative impact on both classroom practice and subject leadership. It has strengthened the coherence of our curriculum, sharpened pedagogical discussions and given our team a shared language around effective maths teaching. The emphasis on representation and structure has led to greater pupil confidence when reasoning and a deeper understanding of connections between topics. Being part of this network has provided high-quality professional development, facilitated meaningful collaboration with other schools and enabled us to lead change with confidence.’

The full announcement from the PTI can be found on their website.