The initiative reflects Brighton’s commitment to the UAE’s Education 33 strategy, promoting Arabic as a language of choice and deepening links to Emirati culture and values

United Arab Emirates, Dubai: Brighton Colleges in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Al Ain, operated by Bloom Education, are proud to be the first British-curriculum school group in the UAE to partner with the University of Buckingham for the launch of its pioneering Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in Arabic.

Twelve Arabic teachers from across the three campuses have joined the inaugural cohort, reinforcing Brighton Colleges’ commitment to teacher development and its role in advancing the UAE’s Education 33 vision to provide every pupil with a world-class education that meets the highest global standards. The initiative builds on the Colleges’ strong Arabic provision, promoting Arabic as a language of choice and strengthening pupils’ connection to Emirati culture and values, in line with national priorities around critical thinking, creativity, and lifelong learning.

The University of Buckingham’s PGCE in Arabic is the first of its kind to be offered by a British university, mirroring the highly regarded UK-based model, and is delivered entirely in Arabic, aligned with the British qualifications framework. Through this adoption, Brighton College educators gain internationally benchmarked training, while pupils benefit from more engaging and effective lessons in Arabic, Islamic Studies, and UAE Social Studies.

Craig Lamshed, General Manager of Bloom Education’s Brighton Colleges in the UAE, said: “We are proud of our Arabic teaching teams across Brighton College Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Al Ain for joining this historic programme. As the sole UAE partner of the University of Buckingham in this initiative, we are committed to ensuring that Arabic language teaching in each of our schools is of the highest standard, and to achieve this we must continue to invest in our educators. Through this partnership, our teachers will gain internationally recognised postgraduate certification that both celebrates our teachers’ expertise while strengthening their skills. At the same time, it will enrich pupils’ learning in Arabic and related subjects, inspiring greater appreciation of language, culture and values.

This reflects our commitment to cultural identity and academic excellence, and we’re excited to see the lasting impact on our schools and on Arabic education across the UAE.”

Dr. Mayamin Altae, Assistant Professor of Education and Head of International Teacher Training Programmes at the University of Buckingham, commented: “By teaching the PGCE in Arabic, we are equipping educators with the very best in global teaching practice while honouring their language and cultural identity.”

The PGCE in Arabic is a Level 7 postgraduate qualification delivered fully online over 37 weeks from September 2025 to March 2026 of full-time study. It combines structured weekly pedagogy modules and reflective practice, in-school mentorship, and lesson observations aligned with the English Teachers’ Standards. On completion, graduates receive an internationally recognised qualification, advancing their careers and ensuring parity with English-medium colleagues, while benefitting their pupils.  

The adoption of the PGCE in Arabic is also in line with national initiatives such as the UAE’s 2025 ‘Year of the Community’ and the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre’s programme to measure and deepen community engagement with Arabic. It further highlights the UAE’s wider focus on family involvement, modernised curricula and teaching methods, and expanded teacher training with digital tools and active learning.

About Brighton College Abu Dhabi

Brighton College Abu Dhabi is rated 'Very Good’ by ADEK and stands as one of the top British-curriculum schools in the Middle East, catering to pupils aged 3 to 18 years old. Operated by Bloom Education, the school consistently delivers exceptional academic results, offers a wide array of co-curricular activities, provides outstanding pastoral care and fosters a strong sense of community at its core.

Recognised as one of the ‘Top 10’ private schools in the Middle East in both 2024 and 2025 Spear’s Schools Index in partnership with Thuso, Brighton College Abu Dhabi is part of the renowned Brighton College family of Schools and serves as the sister school to England’s 'School of the Decade' (The Sunday Times).

Pupils at Brighton College Abu Dhabi experience a vibrant and demanding learning environment, underpinned by a distinct British independent school ethos that mirrors the values and dynamic culture of Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates.

Situated in a purpose-built campus adjacent to Khalifa Park, the school features state-of-the-art facilities and is staffed by highly experienced and talented academic and support staff, maintaining the exceptional standard of education upheld by other Brighton Colleges worldwide.

Brighton College Abu Dhabi equips its pupils with the skills and knowledge necessary to achieve excellent GCSE and A-Level results, ensuring that its alumni secure placements at leading universities across the globe. The Class of 2025 held over 149 offers from Russell Group Universities and went on to study at universities including Imperial College London, UCL, LSE, King’s College London, and University of Manchester, as well as top US and other global destinations, with several earning scholarships. Collectively, Brighton Colleges are the top-performing school group across the UAE for the second consecutive year, as per Which School Advisor results table 2024 and 2025 A-Levels (A*–A) and GCSE (9–8).

The school's consecutive recognition as the ‘British School of the Year’ by LUXLife Private Education Awards in both 2022 and 2023 underscores its ongoing success.

Bloom Education, a Bloom Holding subsidiary, delivers the highest standards of a British curriculum education in the UAE and is committed to inspiring its pupils to appreciate and value local heritage and cultural diversity.

https://www.brightoncollege.ae/

About Brighton College Al Ain

In 2016, Brighton College Al Ain achieved the esteemed 'Outstanding' rating from ADEK, becoming one of only five schools in the Emirate to do so, and the first in Al Ain. This commitment to excellence persisted, as the school maintained the 'Outstanding' rating in 2018, 2023, and in 2025 was also recognised as ‘Outstanding’ in all categories by the British Schools Overseas (BSO) inspection. The College is the sole school in Al Ain to attain this prestigious rating from both ADEK and BSO.

Located in Zakher, the purpose-built 28-acre campus features state-of-the-art educational facilities, including a 450-seat auditorium, an IAFF-accredited athletics track, a 25-meter swimming pool, all-weather football pitches, and cutting-edge science and ICT labs. Aligned with the standards upheld by Brighton College UK (voted England’s School of the decade by the Sunday Times) and other Brighton Colleges worldwide, the campus underscores the school's dedication to providing an exceptional level of education.

With a diverse student body comprising Emirati and expatriate pupils from around the world, they offer a vibrant and challenging learning environment alongside a distinct British independent school ethos for students aged 3 to 18 years old. Brighton College Al Ain nurtures talents, skills, and character and provides a rich extra-curricular program that complements academic studies.

Operated by Bloom Education, Brighton College Al Ain is consistently ranked as one of the top-performing schools for academic results in the UAE. Its pupils secure offers at leading universities around the world pursuing further studies in fields including Medicine, Law, Engineering, Finance, English and the Sciences. Collectively, Brighton Colleges are the top-performing school group across the UAE for the second consecutive year, as per Which School Advisor results table 2024 and 2025 A-Levels (A*–A) and GCSE (9–8).

Bloom Education, a Bloom Holding subsidiary, delivers the highest standards of a British curriculum education in the UAE and is committed to inspiring its pupils to appreciate and value local heritage and cultural diversity.

https://www.brightoncollegealain.ae/

About Brighton College Dubai

Brighton College Dubai is a co-educational independent school that offers a distinctively British education to pupils aged from three to 18 years old.  As the sister school of Brighton College UK, Brighton College Dubai has strong and tangible links to England’s ‘School of the Decade’, as named in the Sunday Times Parent Power League Table 2020.

Since launching its purpose-built campus in Al Barsha South in 2018 the College has been crowned by Schools Compared Top School Awards as ‘Best New School in the UAE 2018-2024’, whilst Which School Advisor credits the College for delivering “quite possibly the most outstanding early year’s practice in the UAE”. In addition, the College was recently graded as ‘Very Good’ by the KHDA and achieved ‘Outstanding’ in all areas of a recent British Schools Overseas report and has also celebrated outstanding GCSE and A-Level results. Collectively, Brighton Colleges are the top-performing school group across the UAE for the second consecutive year, as per Which School Advisor results table 2024 and 2025 A-Levels (A*–A) and GCSE (9–8). Talk Education describes the College as “One of the most desirable schools in the city”.

Brighton College Dubai is operated by Bloom Education, a Bloom Holding subsidiary, and delivers the highest standard British curriculum in the UAE, as well as inspiring pupils to appreciate and value local heritage and cultural diversity. As well as Brighton College Dubai, Bloom Education operates a Brighton College campus in Al Ain, rated Outstanding by ADEK and another in Abu Dhabi, renowned for its outstanding GCSE and A Level results.

About Bloom Education

Bloom Education supports the development of future generations through partnerships with world-class international education brands, owns brand schools and nurseries, and the operation of UAE Charter Schools and New Generation Schools.

A pioneer in the Middle East education sector for more than 14 years, Bloom Education has introduced and operated leading American, English and International Baccalaureate curriculum education brands in the UAE market and has provided exceptional educational experiences and opportunities to more than 20,000 students. The partner of choice for international school brand Brighton College, Bloom Education has been entrusted to deliver and sustain the highest international standards locally and has been selected by Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) to operate the Abu Dhabi Charter Schools programme. Bloom Education has also been chosen by Emirates Schools Establishment (ESE) to operate schools in the Northern Emirates, as part of the ‘Ajyal’ (new ‘generation’) school initiative.

With a keen focus on providing the best educational opportunities to help craft better futures for the youth of the UAE, Bloom Education launched its first ‘own-brand’ premium IB school, Bloom World Academy, in Dubai in August 2022. The school has introduced many firsts in the UAE, such as Learning Achievement Passports (LAP), individual learning pathways and the later start time of 9am, allowing for students’ learning to be in balance with family life.

Bloom Education’s opportunity-rich environments allow it to nurture its community of students so they can reach their highest potential – intellectually, physically, socially, and emotionally and their success is reflected in the high quality of their graduates who continue their studies at leading universities around the world, including Ivy league and Russell Group.

As the global population grows and the world becomes increasingly competitive, Bloom Education remains committed to discovering the world's best educational brands whilst expanding its portfolio of premium own-brand schools and nurseries. Additionally, it continues to maintain high standards of operation in ADEK and ESE government schools. This strategic focus enables Bloom Education to provide world-class educational opportunities to an ever-increasing number of students.