Launching a French PGCE with partners | The University of Sunderland

Published on 10, October, 2025

Academics from the University and AIP foundation stood together — L-R: Francisco Benavente (Director of The AIP Foundation), Victoria Stokes (Head of the School of Education, UoS), Carl Newton (Faculty Operations Manager, UoS), Monique Roine (Director General - IIL), Dr Ben Middleton (Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Education, Society and Creative Industries, UoS), Dionne Ross (International Teacher Education Development Lead, UoS) and Yannick Jacomme (Director of French Secondary - IIL).

The University of Sunderland has launched a new French PGCE Education course in collaboration with its international partners.

The University has partnered with the Academy for Innovation in Pedagogy (AIP) Foundation and the Institut International de Lancy (IIL) to launch an innovative teaching pathway, which will start in March 2026.

The French PGCE course has been developed to extend opportunities for trainee teachers and ensure parity between English and French-speaking teachers in its bilingual school community. This course builds on the strong foundations of the existing English PGCE Education.

To launch this new course, colleagues from the University visited the AIP Foundation and IIL (1 October) to strengthen the partnership and finalise the proposal.

Dr Ben Middleton, Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Education, Society and Creative Industries at the University of Sunderland, said: “This programme represents a significant step in our international teacher education partnership.

“By creating a French-medium PGCE, we are ensuring that aspiring teachers can access Sunderland’s high-quality teacher training while developing their practice within IIL’s outstanding bilingual setting.”

Francisco Benavente, Director of the AIP Foundation, said: “This new French-delivered programme fully addresses the growing need for teacher training within our international, often bilingual, schools.

“We are delighted by the University of Sunderland’s responsiveness in adapting the PGCE to the French-speaking context, and we are pleased to support the new generation of teachers throughout their entire professional journey.”

The visit also coincided with the official inauguration of IIL’s new building, B25, attended by a range of guests, including government officials from France and Switzerland.

The state-of-the-art facilities - including a media room, digital learning spaces and innovative wellbeing areas - will provide an environment for future trainee teachers, including French PGCE students to study in.