ABSTRACT
Teacher education, however it is organized and funded, will always be concerned with the professional development of teachers from the moment they enter initial training courses to the time of their retirement. At a time of change, and of new opportunities, teacher education had to face additional problems. The Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education insists that it is the responsibility of colleges to ensure that a rolling programme of staff development in schools is developed as a prerequisite for course approval. Teachers are frequently being reassured that the National Curriculum has not been written on tablets of stone and that it is likely that some aspects will need to be altered and refined in the light of experience, albeit through legislative procedures. Anita Gadsby stresses the importance of school-based, school focused INSET in the implementation of the National Curriculum for pupils with severe learning difficulties. The focus is usually multidimensional and can include curriculum development, INSET provision and research.
