Primary Science Teaching Trust

What Primary Science Teaching Trust does

Primary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT) is a UK-registered educational charity (no. 1190196) and company limited by guarantee (no. 12596629), headquartered in Bristol. Established in 1997 as the Zeneca Science Teaching Trust with a £20 million endowment from pharmaceutical company Zeneca, the organisation was renamed PSTT in 2012 to reflect its sole focus on primary science education. It serves primary schools across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, employing approximately 25 staff including a CEO, five functional directors, communications staff, finance officers, and a national network of Regional and Area Mentors.

PSTT's product portfolio is built around three pillars: (i) downloadable teaching resources and curriculum-linked classroom materials, including The Cycle of Plastic resource developed with Plymouth Marine Laboratory; (ii) paid and free professional development, delivered via two-day Thinking, Doing, Talking Science (TDTS) courses (£250 per teacher), webinar series, regional conferences, and the Primary Science Teacher Awards programme that feeds a College of Fellows with 150+ members; and (iii) bespoke in-school support delivered by Regional Mentors across 11+ UK regions. PSTT holds the exclusive UK national licence for the TDTS methodology from The Oxford Trust, a research-based approach cited in the Education Endowment Foundation's 2023 guidance. Technology is a supporting layer rather than the core product — the stack comprises Vimeo for video, Eventbrite for ticketing, and MailChimp for newsletters.

PSTT earns revenue through a hybrid model combining (a) the investment returns and drawdown from its original £20M charitable endowment (over £10M of which had been deployed into science education by 2015), (b) fee-based CPD courses and school-wide resource subscriptions priced between £25 and £250 per product, and (c) grant funding, including Welsh Government support for TDTS delivery in Wales. Its GTM is community-led and field-driven, relying on Regional Mentors for bottom-of-funnel in-school engagement, partner referrals from PSQM, STEM Learning, The Ogden Trust and ASE for top-of-funnel reach, and events/webinars for mid-funnel conversion. Customer outcomes are strong and publicly disclosed, with 90–99% satisfaction across course, conference and mentor-engagement surveys.

Name

Primary Science Teaching Trust

Legal name

Primary Science Teaching Trust

Website

https://pstt.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Primary Science Teaching Trust is a UK charitable trust that delivers primary science teaching resources, paid CPD courses, and in-school mentor support to schools and teachers across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, holding the exclusive UK licence for the Thinking, Doing, Talking Science methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Primary Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Professionals (Teacher/Administrator CE, CPD) (EDAAALAE)

Keywords

• Primary science education
• Teacher professional development
• School CPD programs
• Educational charity services
• Science teaching resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. CPD and Training Services: PSTT generates revenue through paid professional development courses including Thinking Doing Talking Science two-day courses (£250), webinar series, and training programs for teachers and science leaders.
2. Resource Sales: Revenue from school-wide access packages for recorded materials, online science lessons, and educational resources. Pricing includes £50 for Online Science Lessons per school and £95 for Online Science Days.
3. Charitable Trust Funding: As a registered charity (no. 1190196), PSTT operates with funding from its original endowment established in 1997 and ongoing charitable activities. By 2015, had invested over £10 million in science education.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

PSTT is a registered educational charity that provides primary science teaching resources, continuing professional development (CPD) courses, in-school support delivered through a network of Regional Mentors, and recognition programs (Primary Science Teacher Awards) for primary school teachers across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The organisation develops and disseminates curriculum-aligned teaching materials and operates the exclusive UK licence for the Thinking, Doing, Talking Science approach.

Product overview

PSTT offers a comprehensive suite of products and services for primary science education, comprising teaching resources (downloadable lesson plans and classroom materials), professional development programmes (Thinking, Doing, Talking Science CPD courses, webinar series, and network meetings), in-school support through the Regional Mentor Programme, and the Primary Science Teacher Awards which recognises excellence and creates a College of Fellows. The portfolio also includes specific products like Online Science Lessons, Science Enrichment Packages, and subject leader tools. The core offering is a platform combining resources, CPD, and direct support services to help schools achieve excellent primary science teaching across the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Primary Science Teacher Awards (PSTA): Awards celebrating the commitment, creativity and skills of primary science teachers across the UK. Awardees become part of the PSTT College of Fellows.
• Thinking, Doing, Talking Science
• PSTT College of Fellows
• Regional Mentor Programme
• Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM) Partnership

Products and services

• Teaching Resources
• Thinking, Doing, Talking Science (TDTS)
• Online Science Lessons
• Regional Mentor Programme
• Primary Science Teacher Awards (PSTA)
• Effective Science Leadership Webinar Series
• Science for Early Career Teachers

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of teachers reported a positive change in understanding how to develop children's oracy skills after attending Thinking, Doing, Talking Science course
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPSQM is a one-year school improvement programme for primary science providing professional development. PSTT is a long-term supporter through strategic partnership with the University of Hertfordshire.
• SSERCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSERC offers services supporting STEM areas of the curriculum. Partnership provides health and safety guidance referenced in PSTT resources.
• STEM LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTEM Learning works with UK Government, employers, and educational establishments to deliver positive STEM outcomes. Partnership extends reach to schools engaged with STEM Learning programs.
• The Ogden TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ogden Trust supports schools, teachers, and projects committed to enhancing physics teaching and learning. Jointly commissioned State of Primary Science report in 2025.
• Shine TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHINE is an education charity working with teachers and schools to help disadvantaged children in the North of England.
• The Association for Science Education (ASE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASE is an active membership body supporting all those involved in science education. Many PSTT Fellows are active ASE members.
• Plymouth Marine LaboratoryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPSTT collaborated with Plymouth Marine Laboratory to create The Cycle of Plastic resource, featuring video content from scientists.
• The Oxford TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPSTT holds exclusive license from The Oxford Trust to deliver Thinking, Doing, Talking Science courses across the UK as the lead national partner.
• Science Made SimpleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for Wales-based Thinking, Doing, Talking Science courses, funded by Welsh Government as part of Boosting Science Education in Wales initiative.
• Lightyear FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Lightyear Foundation which improves access for children with SEND to STEM activities and careers.
• University of Manchester (SEERIH)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with SEERIH (Science and Engineering Education Research and Innovation Hub) for research projects including QuSmart on children's scientific questions. Co-commissioned State of Primary Science report.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Ogden Trust: UK charitable trust that funds physics teaching and learning in schools through partnerships, teacher fellowships and school programmes. Directly comparable to PSTT as a similarly structured science education trust with which PSTT actively co-publishes research.
• Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM): School improvement programme for primary science run by the University of Hertfordshire, of which PSTT is a long-term strategic supporter. Closely comparable in addressing the same primary science improvement pain points through structured accreditation and CPD pathways.
• STEM Learning: UK-based charity that delivers STEM CPD, resources and school engagement programmes across primary and secondary education. Highly comparable to PSTT in mission, UK school-focused delivery model and reliance on teacher CPD as the primary lever for impact.

Broad incumbents

• Royal Institution: UK science education charity operating public engagement, school programmes and teacher CPD. Comparable to PSTT in the teacher development dimension, but operates across a much broader age range and remit.
• British Science Association: UK charity running science engagement programmes including the CREST awards and British Science Week that reach into primary schools. Comparable to PSTT in its school-facing science mission, but operates at broader national-event scale.
• Association for Science Education (ASE): UK-wide membership body supporting science educators across all phases including primary. Comparable to PSTT in serving primary science teachers, but operates at broader scope across secondary and tertiary and as a membership association rather than CPD provider.

Others

• Wellcome Trust: Major UK charitable foundation funding science education, research and engagement. Adjacent rather than competitive: relevant comparator for endowment-funded science education activity and grant partnership dynamics that shape PSTT's funding environment.
• Education Endowment Foundation (EEF): UK education research and grant-making charity producing evidence-based teaching guidance. Adjacent enabler: EEF cited PSTT's TDTS methodology in its 2023 guidance, making it a key influence on demand for PSTT's CPD.

Regional players

• SSERC: Scottish Schools Education Research Centre providing STEM resources, training and health & safety guidance to schools. Comparable to PSTT in delivering CPD and curriculum resources, but with a primarily Scottish geographic focus.

Emerging players

• Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC), University of York: University-based unit producing science teaching resources and industry-linked classroom materials for primary and secondary schools. Comparable niche to PSTT in resource development and teacher support, with overlapping but not identical target segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/PSTTweet
• YouTubevimeo.com/pstt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/primary-science-teaching-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Primary Science Teaching Trust