Pupils celebrate Sir David Attenborough’s birthday

Children at schools in Hellesdon took part in a range of activities to celebrate Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday.

Pupils at Arden Grove Infant School and Nursery dressed as their favourite creatures, or came to school accompanied by animal soft toys, while Kinsale Junior School pupils also dressed as animals, or wore clothing featuring animals or animal prints, in tribute to the world-renowned naturalist and broadcaster, who turned 100 on May 8.

Arden Grove teacher Georgia Groom said: “We had a visit from Ewan at Animal Hut who brought in animals for the children to enjoy, including a rat, several snakes, a tarantula, and some insects. We found out more about David Attenborough and his life and enjoyed watching some of his amazing documentaries.
“Year 1 and Year 2 learnt about being conservationists and some of the threats that face some of our most beloved animals, walking in the footsteps of David Attenborough.”

Key Stage 1 pupils at Arden Grove, which is a member of the Wensum Trust, also joined other schools from across the UK in a live national assembly to mark the occasion.

Meanwhile, all year groups at Kinsale Junior took part in the day-long celebration, which included nature-themed activities based around conservation, ecology, and sustainability, and inspired by Sir David Attenborough’s lifelong work.

The school, also part of the Wensum Trust, has the status of ‘Zoo School’ in partnership with the Zoological Society of East Anglia (ZSEA).
Head of School Jo Philpott said: “Sir David Attenborough was chosen as one of our House names, along with Mary Anning, Jane Goodall, and Charles Darwin. This was due to their contributions to the world of natural history and evolutionary science, which links perfectly to our Zoo School ethos of conservation, ecology, and sustainability.”

Pupils had the chance to try their hand at their own wildlife and nature photography, with a competition where they were invited to submit images they had taken of nature and wildlife in the area; while drone photography captured the children forming the shape of a figure ‘100’ on the school playground. There was also an assembly led by Sara Goatcher from ZSEA, where the children were joined by Year 2 pupils from Kinsale Infant School.
Mrs Philpott added: “We really enjoyed seeing the children’s creative outfits and celebrating this historic milestone together.”