In November 2015, subject leaders of Art, English, Mathematics, Music and Science joined us for three days of enriching professional development.


Welcome address by Bernice McCabe, Co-Director of the PTI.

Delegates experienced a range of subject knowledge enhancing lectures by academics from institutions like The University of Cambridge, The University of Oxford and The British Antarctic Survey, with topics as diverse as The maths of animal behaviour, The immune response across the life course, Victorian romance, The Pre-Raphaelite Movement and The songs of the Carmina Burana.


Art keynote speaker Deborah Kermode, Deputy Director of the Ikon Gallery.

In workshops they debated why their subjects are important, what the current issues in their subject are, and how best to develop their own provision back at school.

Maths delegates discussing why we teach Maths  - to give students resilience, problem-solving skills, the language of science and enjoyment of the abstract.

Music delegates experienced the acoustics at Birmingham Symphony Hall.

Art delegates reconnected with their own practice in a life drawing workshop with the Royal Drawing School.

English teachers explored bringing Shakespeare texts to life with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

And the scientists handled (and melted) some 55,000-year-old ice extracted by the British Antarctic Survey.

The event closed with the chance for teachers to highlight issues in their subjects to a panel of educationalists from exam boards, Ofsted and various subject associations. 

Issues included:

  • Concerns about teacher recruitment and retention and the need for more subject-specific CPD and support
  • The need to encourage more students into STEM careers while protecting the status of the Arts in schools 
  •  Assessing what we value rather than valuing what we assess
  • The need to support subject specialist teaching in primary schools

Panel members from OCR, the Incorporated Society of Musicians and Cambridge International Examinations.