ABSTRACT
Opportunities to develop and lead Continued Professional Development (CPD) need to be shared equitably. Beyond in-house CPD, teachers should have access to the best available professional networks. England's teachers work the longest hours and get paid one of the worst salaries in OECD countries: a barrier to professional development. Teachers are organising themselves and coming together in the evenings and at weekends to share and to learn from each other. In Service Training days will continue to be a poisoned chalice as long as education policy is constantly changing. A British Educational Research Association report states teachers' experience of professional development in most parts of the UK is "fragmented, occasional and insufficiently informed by research", in high contrast to internationally well-regarded education systems such as Finland, Canada and Singapore. In Finland, a master's degree is the minimum expected of teachers.
