Getting started

The Project Science course is being developed for schools to start the programme from September 2025.

Run Practising Science as a separate course

We recommend treating Project Science as a timetabled course for Year 10 and Year 11 like other GCSE options. The teaching and enquiry elements are likely to require 60 guided learning hours per year - around 2 lessons per week, which is the time recommended by the Awarding Bodies. This will give students the best chance of a high grade in HPQ or EPQ.

Integrate Practising Science in your existing course

It is possible to embed the teaching and enquiry elments nto the time allotted for Combined Science GCSE - if you start at year 9. The Practising Science teaching syllabus sets out the science practices and transferable skills needed to prepare students for an independent project.

Staffing the course

Any science teacher who is enthusiastic about student-led enquiry could run the programme. We list some relevant experiences and qualities:

  • familiarity with problem- or project-based learning, or Project Qualifications
  • acting as a mentor or coach to students
  • teaching across physics, chemistry and biology
  • Strong time and project management
  • Pilot course

Mastery Science is developing the support and resources for schools to start using the programme in 2025-26. This includes:

  • a teaching syllabus for the practices and transferable skills taught and how they meets the requirements for HPQ/EPQ.  >> - Teaching syllabus
  • a scheme of work for organising the teaching and project elements of year 10 and 11.  >> Scheme of work
  • teaching resources - real-world case studies in short guided enquiries to teach the practices needed for student projects.  > > Teaching resources
  • enquiry resources - ready-to-go 'project briefs' in a range of exciting and relevant themes to scaffold and support projects.  >> Enquiry resources
  • Professional development - a series of recorded online and face-to-face sessions to plan and implement the course.  >> Professional development