There is clearly a need to introduce the flavour of genuine scientific enquiry into the curriculum if it is to be accessible to more than a minority of pupils. Many have wondered if it is possible to do justice to something as varied and ill defined as real exploration within the constraints of the formal curriculum. Attempts to describe to children how scientists work have been rooted too often in explorations of the presumed thought processes and actions of a few historical figures, e.g. Edward Jenner, revisited again and again. That these challenges can be overcome is evident from the case studies presented here. The principal challenge to any scheme is time.
Time is the scarcest resource.
Such pressures are not restricted to teachers, but are the experience of many others in society, not least the professional scientists with whom they might wish to work in partnership. All are under increasing pressure to meet deadlines and to account meticulously for their use of resources. For all, time is at a premium. A consequence of this is that work at the school-professional science interface must necessarily be given a genuine priority not only by schools, but also by professional scientists' own institutions if either teachers or scientists are to justify the time given to such work and bring the partnerships to fruition. Some very long-term research projects may require only occasional activity and, indeed, schools enjoy an advantage in this respect, because funding of small long term projects in mainstream research can be problematic.