why is a pgce important?

The Profession
Teaching is a highly reflective profession. Our ability to teach effectively is dependent on us having the skills and tools to assess and develop as a practitioner. Through the employment based PGCE you will study emerging pedagogy, review leading academic thinking and recieve expert tuition from leading educators at Newcastle University. Sacred Heart is committed to growing the next generation of teachers, we believe that Masters level study is an essential part of this process.

The value of a Post Graduate qualification
To teach in state schools in England and Wales all teachers must have Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). This is the qualification which is assessed by your classroom practice (against the 8 Teachers' Standards). However, many Headteachers will look for additional qualifications such as PGCE or PGCert. For those who wish to teach outside of England and Wales, it is worth noting that most countries will only recognise a Post Graduate qualification. The Newcastle University PGCE will give you 60 Masters credits. This can be converted with extra study over a further two years to a Masters.

What is the difference between a PGCE and PG Cert?
A PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) and PGCert (Post Graduate Certificate in 'x') are in effect the same qualification and both assessed at Masters level.  In the past, the 'PGCE' was studied by trainee teachers as a post graduate course but it wasn't assessed/graded at post graduate level. To recognise this, often a university used the term Professional Certificate in Education (ergo a PGCE!). Many experienced teachers have this version of the PGCE. However, in recent years the universities have all started to offer and assess these courses at Masters level and have amended the name accordingly to Post Graduate Certificate in Education. Both qualifications are usually abbreviated by teachers to 'PGCE' on their CVs.