ABSTRACT
Each of the points carries whole school implications. The issue of covering classes for teachers absent because of attendance on courses raises the question about the teachers' main function –the task of teaching. Brislington is a large comprehensive school in South Bristol with a teaching staff of over a hundred. Until its arrangements for professional development reflected the traditional model to be found in the majority of schools across the country, which relied heavily on the provision of external courses and an assortment of school-based activities. For many teachers the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) workshops and an appreciation of how a modular programme for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) can work for them is the point at which they realise that a Masters qualification is within their grasp. Arguably they are not employed to be released from their teaching to participate in professional development activities, despite the fact that these will ultimately benefit the pupils.
