When teachers ask me what aged students they should bring on I’m a Scientist, my answer is often something along the lines of “well, it’s developed for Year 9 students but all ages get something different out of taking part, so take your pick”.

The good news is that our data supports this. When students register we ask them what year group they’re in. There are Year 5s. There are also Year 13s. Around two thirds of the 30,000+ students registered so far are KS3 (Years 7, 8 & 9).

The bad news? It’s not really bad news as such, but it looks like I should also be advising teachers on the time of year they should take part with different year groups.

March and June are great for pre-GCSE students. Teachers tell us they’re looking for something fun to do with students at the end of the year. They’re less good for GCSE and A Level students who have mocks, coursework and shock horror, actual exams to contend with.

November is slap bang in the middle of careers time for older students, and who better to speak to about possible careers in science than 5 practicing scientists online?

Different year groups take part at different times in the year

And just in case you’re wondering why there are a suspiciously high % of Year 5’s – that’s the registration form’s default option. So you might even expect it to be higher!