TEACHERS of health education in schools come from a variety of different subject backgrounds and differ considerably in their teaching experience and approaches, the status they command within their schools and the degree of support they receive from their head teachers and colleagues. They often lack confidence in their own ability to respond to the demands of teaching health education, because of inadequate preparation during their initial training and problems of access to an appropriate structure of in-service provision. Low recruitment to Master's, Diploma and Certificate level courses frequently reflect structural, financial and logistic difficulties experienced by teachers, whilst shorter INSET Courses, although capable of reacting flexibly to teachers' immediate perceived needs, are unable to provide a coherent, structured and progressive pat tern of professional development. The 'gap' in provi sion points up the need for a pyramid of certificated courses that are tailored to meet teachers' in-service professional requirements.
