Calstock Community Primary School in Cornwall has won the inaugural PTI Primary Impact Award at a ceremony at Butchers’ Hall, London on 11th March
The PTI’s Primary Impact Award promotes and celebrates excellence in primary leadership, recognising primary schools that put quality subject teaching at the heart of the classroom.
Calstock Community Primary School was nominated for the journey the school has made to innovate and improve the teaching of geography across the school and federation. To achieve this the school initiated, delivered and field-tested a redesigned Geography curriculum. Executive Headteacher, Ben Towe, also organised and led two CPD events for the South West PTI Hub schools, building on the learning of previous PTI sessions and developing approaches to global learning, critical thinking and fieldwork.
Calstock Community Primary School is located in a relatively remote and rural part of Cornwall, welcoming children to a community of learning with a culture of high expectation and aspiration where all effort and achievement, in any area, is valued.
Hugh Rayment-Pickard, Co-Director, the PTI said: “The PTI is delighted to announce Calstock Community Primary School as nominee/commended/winner of the inaugural PTI Primary Impact Award. This award recognises primary teachers and schools across the country who continually strive to demonstrate a high quality of teaching. The award allows the PTI to highlight excellence in the classroom, and the impact that quality subject teaching can have on the future prospects of young students. Many congratulations to this year’s shortlisted schools, and to the tremendous teachers impacting lives around the country.”
Ben Towe, at Calstock Community Primary School said: “We are proud to be nominated for this prestigious award and to be recognised for the hard work we have invested in our geography curriculum. Much of our curriculum intent has been significantly enhanced by the school’s involvement with the PTI and through the high quality training and learning opportunities that have been provided. In response, the design of our curriculum seeks to enable our children to be enquiring and critical, developing a deeper understanding of both the physical and human world. We want our children’s geographical encounters to draw upon, and make full use of the immediate and wider local area, with the aim of enabling them to develop a deep understanding of the rich geography of their locality. Significantly, we also want to encourage our children to think globally and to be outward looking.”
Christine Counsell, chair of the judging panel, said: “The Awards Panel was struck by many things at Calstock and we are thrilled to give recognition to such thorough and inspiring subject work, as well as truly exceptional leadership which makes sure that this subject work is sustained, renewed and has impact. The partnerships created by the school with many local organisations bear rich fruit in consistently high-quality subject resources and quite phenomenal subject teaching. Sheer passion for geography coming from the class teachers made it no surprise that the pupils love geography with an enthusiasm so deep, that it is very likely to outlast their school years.“
The £5,000 prize and trophy will be awarded annually to an exceptional school which demonstrates the ethos and values of the PTI through their work with a PTI Primary Hub.
The judging panel consisted of Christine Counsell (Chair), Rod Mackinnon (former Headteacher and Education Consultant), Professor Dame Alison Peacock (CEO of the Chartered College of Teaching), Carolyn Roberts (Headteacher of Thomas Tallis School and Co-Director of The PTI), Professor Helen Cooper (formerly Head of the English Faculty at the University of Cambridge) and Jon Bishop (Headteacher, Robert Bakewell Primary School, Loughborough).