From GCSE to Professional Doctorate: How this reunion was 30 years in the making

Published on 17, July, 2025

An academic has celebrated a full-circle moment with a familiar face 30 years on at the University of Sunderland’s summer graduation ceremonies.

In 1995, 16-year-old Alison McMaster was presented with a Record of Achievement at the end of her GCSEs by the then Director of Education and Libraries at Newcastle City Council, David Bell.

Thirty years later, Sir David, now Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Sunderland, joined Alison on stage once again as she received her professional doctorate at this year’s graduation ceremonies.

Alison, Senior Lecturer in International Initial Teacher Training at the University, said: “It's one of those rare moments of real happenstance that you don’t expect but mean so much when they happen.

“When I was 16 and finishing my GCSEs, the Vice-Chancellor presented me with my Record of Achievement. At the time, my mam worked with him and had told me what a genuinely kind, down-to-earth person he was, someone who really cared about people and about education.

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“I remember walking across the stage, full of teenage attitude, and he told me that my mam was really proud of me and that I could smile if I wanted to - which, of course, I didn’t.”

Alison went to train as a primary school teacher specialising in early years education. She held multiple management positions in schools before joining the University.

Now the Programme Leader of International PCGE Education at the University, Alison has completed her doctorate which focused on developing a more meaningful and authentic way to assess international trainee teachers by bringing professional conversations into the heart of their assessments.

Alison was joined by her mum – as she was 30 years ago – making it a truly full-circle moment.

Alison said: “Having Sir David on stage when I received my doctorate, with my mam in the audience again, was such a lovely full-circle moment. I didn’t need any encouragement to smile this time - I was absolutely beaming.

“I feel incredibly proud, but also a little in disbelief. I never set out to be an academic. I’ve always said I just wanted to be a brilliant teacher.

“Completing my doctorate wasn’t about chasing a title – it was about doing something positive for something I care deeply about: education and making sure everyone has their chance to shine.”

Sir David Bell said: “Graduation is always full of memorable moments but awarding Alison her doctorate was a particularly special one for me. 

”After the jokes were made about me feeling very old, Alison and I reflected on how, through the twists and turns of life, we had both ended up working at the University of Sunderland three decades on. It reminded us too how fortunate we had been to receive opportunities along the way to allow that to happen.

“Such encounters are what make working in education so worthwhile. You never know as a teacher – at any level in the education system – what kind of influence you might have on the lives of those that you have taught along the way.”