This article employs the concept of community to interpret teacher professional learning in the context of the school science department. Using the transcripts of staff meetings, lesson observations and the conversations of school administrators, the departmental community is examined in terms of three metaphors: subject, relationships and identity. In an era of a rapidly changing science teacher demographic, the article highlights potential differences in professional learning opportunities between teachers who are university educated in science and those without a science background. The research raises three issues for the science education community to address.