Pupils at Ormiston Cliff Park Primary Academy (OCPPA) are celebrating after receiving a letter full of praise from Sir David Attenborough for their successful eco projects.
As part of the academy’s ongoing environmental projects, Year 4 pupils wrote to Sir David Attenborough, their environmental hero, to tell him about the important work they have been doing to support the environment. They were absolutely thrilled to receive two replies from him, praising their efforts.
His letters have now been framed and will sit proudly in the academy’s entrance area for all visitors to enjoy.
The academy’s environmental work began in 2022, when they created a ‘Woodland Walk’ to commemorate Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. The Woodland Walk included a special tree planted by every pupil in the academy, creating a beautiful walking path around the perimeter of the field.
It was so wonderful to see how excited and overjoyed our pupils were when we received a letter from Sir David Attenborough.
Louise Watkins, Principal at OCPPA
To further their efforts to create a beautiful outdoor space for the children and wildlife to enjoy, the academy’s school council spearheaded a project to turn pieces of unused ground into stunning woodland storytelling gardens. The gardens even included wooden toadstool seats and a reading shed, made from mostly recycled materials.
The academy also created a ‘Quiet Garden’, filled with colourful flowers and plenty of calm spaces for pupils to sit and relax with friends or to read. All of the children were involved in growing plants for the two garden projects, and we were very proud to officially open these new spaces.
Pupils and staff are looking forward to continuing their environmental work with plans to create an eco-greenhouse using recycled bottles and working with local volunteers to transform their wildlife and pond area. The academy also plans to create a large eco-themed elephant that will be named after Sir David.
Louise Watkins, Principal said: “It was so wonderful to see how excited and overjoyed our pupils were when we received a letter from Sir David Attenborough. He is a true hero and inspiration to many of our children and has helped to encourage and inspire them to take a real interest in the environment and world around them.
“It has also been such a pleasure to see our children really engaging with nature and to see their delight as we transform our outdoor space into an exciting garden for them to enjoy with their peers.
“We are also enormously grateful to our wider school community who have supported our fundraising activities to enable the creation of our different eco-projects.”