The Ann Barnes Memorial Prize for Inspirational Teaching 

Nominees: Alice Clarke, Anthony Killeen, Lloyd Maskery & Rebekah Sanders. 

Dr Ann Barnes was an inspirational role model, always seeking excellence herself and encouraging others to aspire to be the ‘best teacher’ they could be. This memorial prize reflects her unfailing quality to be the first to praise, recognise and celebrate any achievement and recognises a trainee who has gone beyond excellent classroom practice to inspire young people to be the best that they can be. This year the trainee not only inspired in lessons but managed to bring Jeremy Corbyn into the school during the December 2019 General Election.

 Winner: Lloyd Maskery

"I’d like to thank those who nominated me for the award and gladly surprised to have won! It’s been an amazing journey and I am really grateful for all the support I have had around me to be successful in my training year. I hope to continue to be an inspirational teacher for all my students."

Lloyd Maskery

Nominee: Alice Clarke

A huge shout out to my professional mentor Alex Quinn for nominating me for the Ann Barnes award! I was honoured to be shortlisted for this prestigious award. Memorable highlights of the year include: volunteering to remote teach for my base school, meeting lots of amazing Geography trainees at Warwick Uni and all the support and guidance from Dave Winter. I’m proud to be part of the PGCE ‘class of covid’, all the best to everyone as we embark on our teaching careers! 2020 will certainly be a year to remember...!”

Alice Clarke 

Nominee: Rebekah Sanders

Being nominated was such a surprise, but a lovely way to end a fantastic year. Both of my placement schools were so welcoming, and I learnt a lot from both staff and students - so a big thank you goes out to them. Doing my teacher training is definitely the best choice I have ever made!”

Rebekah Sanders 

The Nesta Howells Award 

Nominees: Christy Flynn, Emma-Jane Guy & Joshua Mammatt. 

Nesta was a student at the City of Coventry Training College for Women from 1948 to 1950. She was a member of the first intake of students at the College where she completed her Certificate in Education. The criteria for this award is for a trainee who has succeeded despite challenging circumstances to overcome adversity and has continued to demonstrate development and achievement throughout every aspect of the PGCE course.   

It was a privilege to win the Nesta Howells Award after what has been a difficult and challenging year. I would like to thank the staff of the CTE and the friends that I have made for being so supportive in helping me achieve QTS. Although it has been a strange year, I have had a fantastic experience training at Warwick, and it is something I will never forget for the rest of my career. "

Josh Mammatt 

Outstanding Contribution to the Course Award

Nominees: Ben Venson, Dani Boughey, Gill Browne & Maeva Grand-Coureau-Basfresne 

This is awarded to a trainee for effective and sustained contribution to the course, above and beyond a trainee’s normal involvement and may involve valuable support of peers, sharing of outstanding practice or subject knowledge or a role on the SSLC committee. This year the trainee was the chair of the SSLC committee and became a vital link between CTE staff and the trainees through the really challenges times that they found themselves in.  

Winner: Maeva Grand-Coureau-Basfresne

I feel very privileged to have been nominated for the Course Contribution Award and I would like to take this opportunity to firstly thank the nominators (who will recognise themselves!) but also the PGCE Cohort 2019-20 for their trust, SSLC members for their collaboration and the Centre For Teacher Education for being such a positive environment to grow in. I will do my best to honour this award in further work. Thank you!”

Maeva Grand-Coureau-Basfresne 

Nominee: Dani Boughey 

Nominee: Gill Browne

It was a wonderful surprise to have been nominated for this award. I felt very humbled that people from my course took the time to nominate me and that they felt I was deserving of such an award. This course is very intense, so I have always tried to help where I can to ensure a little bit of stress is taken off their shoulders. Being nominated was a superb way to finish the course.”

Gill Browne 

The Academic Prize

Nominees: Bethan Reed, Brian McAuley, Dan Weston & Katherine Edwards 

This is awarded to the trainee who excels academically over each of the 4 academic assignments and achieves the highest overall mark. This year the trainee averaged 77%.  

Winner: Katherine Edwards

I was over the moon to receive my award and I was certainly not expecting it. Despite the pandemic, the University have supported me academically all the way through and I would like to thank Andy Hind, my personal tutor, for his advice throughout my academic works. Needless to say, I have told everyone I know about it!" 

Katherine Edwards

Nominee: Brian McAuley

I was most honoured and grateful to have been nominated by CTE’s for their academic prize. It was a wonderful way to end what had been a very successful and meaningful year. I also felt that it was a lovely way of recognising and rewarding PGCE students’ hard work throughout the year… It is a really fantastic feeling to have your name called out among friends and colleagues you respect and admire.

When I first shared with others that I had applied for a PGCE, I was informed by several third-year PhD student friends that ‘it was the most stressful course I could possibly undertake.’ While I came up against many challenges throughout the year and was at times really pushed to my limits, I also learned some very important lessons, developed skills that I believe will last me throughout my life, and feel I have ultimately really grown as a person.

Most importantly, I was able to meet some really remarkable, talented, and genuinely lovely people. From the peers, colleagues, and mentors who inspired me in their determination to make a difference in young people’s lives, to the students and young people that I had the opportunity to teach and mentor, and whose unique and interesting personalities I was able to get to know. Being able to train as a geography teacher has been the chance of a lifetime and is something I would not trade for anything.

Having the opportunity to discuss the next generations views on some of the world’s most important issues, to have an impact on those who may even go on to change and shape the world in important ways in the future, to open students eyes to new and exciting ideas and perspectives, and to witness the impact your teaching has first hand in the awe and curiosity about the world, and the love of learning that is written on students’ faces is the best feedback anyone could possibly receive, and a privilege few get to experience.”

Brian McAuley

Nominee: Dan Weston

I was very proud to be in the running for the award and at the start of the year it was not something I was expecting to be shortlisted for. It has been a great first year in teaching despite the unusual circumstances, and being nominated was a nice way to finish it.”

Dan Weston