Students from across our Trust schools marked Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday by collaborating on a joint artwork celebrating care for the natural world and hope for the future.
Each participating school has contributed hand‑painted prints, which will be brought together to form a large‑scale image of hands holding the world. At its centre, a sapling emerges, reflecting shared themes of care, responsibility and collective action. The finished artwork will be installed at The 3-18 Education Trust’s central office in Shrewsbury for staff and visitors to enjoy.
As part of the birthday celebrations on Friday 8th May, pupils from St Martins School and Thomas Adams School joined pupils at Hodnet Primary School to create part of the artwork together in person.
Alongside the creative activity, pupils also took part in an engaging forest school session led by Shropshire Wildlife Trust.
A wild day at Coleham Primary School
Elsewhere across the Trust, Coleham Primary School in Shrewsbury marked the milestone with a vibrant, nature‑inspired day of learning and community action. The celebrations began with a whole‑school assembly led by Shropshire Wildlife Trust, exploring Sir David Attenborough’s extraordinary global impact and the importance of caring for the local environment.
A highlight of the day was the unveiling of a spectacular three‑tier birthday cake, created in partnership with the Love Spoon Bakery in Coleham. Each tier represented a different environment – the oceans, the deserts and the rainforests – and featured edible animal decorations designed and drawn by pupils. Slices of the cake were sold after school, with all donations going to Shropshire Wildlife Trust.
Creative house competition at Thomas Adams School
At Thomas Adams School in Wem, students were invited to take part in a range of creative competitions inspired by the life and work of Sir David Attenborough.
From nature photography and a ‘letter to the planet’ to narrating a wildlife video Attenborough-style, the entries have been collated into a special video. The video celebrates the talent of Thomas Adams’ students while recognising the incredible impact Sir David has had on people around the world.
Nature-inspired learning at Bridgnorth Endowed School
At Bridgnorth Endowed School, students and staff came together to celebrate the extraordinary life and work of Sir David. From a school litter pick and documentary deep-dive, to creative activities like earth-themed handprints, David Attenborough portraits, and Lyrebird-inspired poetry – there was learning everywhere! In science, students stepped up to create their own documentary narrations and explored the wonders of the natural world.
Children at John Wilkinson Primary School and Nursery were busy making cards and artwork to celebrate Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday.
Creating an immersive live installation at Much Wenlock Primary School and Nursery
Much Wenlock Primary School children from Nursery through to Year 6 came together to create a live installation representing different biomes from around the world. Each space explored the school’s value of Sustainability, helping children understand both the beauty of our planet and the human impact upon it.
The journey ended with Year 6’s Room of Hope, where pupils shared artwork, research presentations and performance poetry, and spoke passionately about the actions we can all take to reduce our impact and protect the future of our world.
Notes for editors
The 3-18 Education Trust is a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) of primary and secondary schools across Shropshire, with a community of over 5,000 students.
For press enquiries, contact media@318education.co.uk.
