To meet the needs of a modern Scottish society, a'Curriculum for Excellence' enables teachers to deliver a more coherent and skills-based curriculum, involving partnerships with external agencies. This article analyses the work of one host school/researcher team through the Researchers in Residence scheme in an Edinburgh secondary school and describes the benefits and flexibility of such schemes to fit with the ideals of the new Scottish curriculum. The team found that the partnership was mutually beneficial to the researcher and the host school and flexible enough to adapt to any subject discipline.