KS 5 Challenges
16-18 years old
Select a challenge
Our Endeavour challenges guide your pupils through an in-depth project over a series of lessons.
Competition challenge
Win £1000 Competition: KS5 Evolve and adapt
How will plants in the future have evolved in response to climate change? Pupils will explore plant evolution then design a plant with adaptations for survival in a future affected by climate change.
living things and their habitats, evolution and adaptation, climate change
Competition challenge
Win £1000 Competition: KS5 Kew the question - Sustainability
What is sustainability? Pupils will learn about UN Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible production and consumption, then deliver a presentation outlining how they think we can achieve this goal.
sustainability, global goals, environment
KS5 It's in the genes
How are pathogens threatening plants and what can we do about it? Pupils will learn about plant diseases including Ash dieback, then write a review on the role of DNA and the Millennium Seed Bank on the future for ash trees.
plant health and diseases, evolution and adaptation, conservation and sustainability
KS5 Climate action
What can we do to protect our planet? Pupils will learn about UN Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate action, then deliver a presentation outlining what they think is the most important thing we can do to tackle climate change.
biodiversity, global goals, conservation and sustainability, climate change
KS5 Tree of life
How are the world’s plants and fungi related to each other and how have they evolved over time? Pupils will learn about Kew’s Plant and Fungal Trees of Life project, then perform a DNA extraction experiment and write a scientific article on their investigation.
evolution and adaptation, conservation and sustainability
KS5 Life on land
How can we protect endangered species? Pupils will learn about UN Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on land, then deliver a presentation outlining what they think is the most important thing we can do to end biodiversity loss.
biodiversity, global goals, conservation and sustainability
KS5 Zero hunger
What are the causes of global hunger? Pupils will learn about UN Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero hunger, then deliver a presentation about what they think is the most important thing we can do to end hunger across the world.
global goals, food, nutrition and health, environment, conservation and sustainability
KS5 Kew scientist
Why do we care about fungi? Pupils will discover how important fungi are for life on earth, then investigate how climate change affects fungal growth and activity.
lab and fieldwork, fungi, conservation and sustainability, climate change