A generation of policy publications focussed on lower secondary education in Ireland are now operational for several years. These policies conceptualise the role of pedagogical understanding and practice for classroom practitioners. This research explores the origins and intent of the pertinent policies with the aim of forming a contextualised conceptualisation of sought pedagogical capacity. The analysis framework employed has been constructed from Shulman’s revised Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) construct (2012) and Loughran’s PCK enactment mechanisms. For this study this forms an investigative focus for the policy and portfolio analyses. Initial Teacher Education (ITE) has often been lauded as the stage in the teacher education continuum which permits the highest level of attitudinal and practice change in teachers. For this reason, this research explores the levels of pedagogical understanding and practice amongst a cohort of PST teachers in a sample Irish ITE programme. This exploration takes the form of a Qualitative Content Analysis of the student teacher’s reflective portfolios and a semi-structured focus group. Emergent challenges and opportunities to the development of PCK understanding and practice for the PSTs during their ITE phase are also explored and documented. Throughout this explorative study, efforts have been made to gather evidence and document experience that contribute to the construction of artefacts, concerned with the promotion of pedagogical development in ITE. The results of these efforts are included as appendices at the end of this study.