The complex nature of the work of a teacher in England was thrown into fresh relief in 2010 by the marked contrast between the outgoing New Labour administration and the incoming Coalition. The paper addresses the false dichotomy between views of teaching as craft and teaching as profession and proceeds to a consideration of the actuality of the middle-ground. It then seeks to place the bespoke (and short-lived) Master's in Teaching and Learning degree within its recent historical and philosophical context. We consider its validity within a meaningful developmental cycle and its continuation as a significant addition to the available professional development resource.