Pupils at Clare Community Primary School pen lyrics to ‘The Extinction Will Not Be Televised’.
A class of primary school children in west Suffolk has been praised by the one and only David Attenborough for the environmental projects they have been involved with.
In the weeks following their SATs exams, year six students at Clare Community Primary School have been visiting other classes to encourage them and their families to eat less meat, use less plastic packaging and bottled cosmetic products and to walk and cycle to school rather than take the car.
The children have also worked with teacher Rob Davies to write updated lyrics to the classic protest song: 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised' by Gil Scott-Heron, which they have called 'The Extinction Will Not Be Televised'.
The students' track deals with climate crisis, plastic waste, retail industry pollution, global warming, political disinterest and the extinction of countless species, set in the context of social media, YouTubers, pop music and Fortnite.
READ MORE: 13 wildlife species in danger of disappearing from East Anglia
The class wrote to Sir David to tell him about their work and earlier this month received a reply from the iconic natural history broadcaster.
Sir David's reply
Sir David wrote: "Congratulations on getting your pupils to participate in all the conservation-linked activities you describe" before going on to apologise that he could not provide a recording of a section of the song lyrics, which Mr Davies had asked him to do.
Mr Davies said: "Sir David's affirmation of our projects really inspires the children and me, and shows us all that the work children are taking part in within UK primary schools, can have much further-reaching consequences and value in their wider lives, than any SATs scores or league tables can reflect.
"And it shows what an incredible force Sir David continues to be, that he personally hand-writes a reply, despite being well into his nineties and with the hectic schedule he must have."
READ MORE: Many bee species extinct or under threat in east of England
The lyrics
The whole track can heard on the video above but here is a sample of some of the lyrics:
There will be no more pictures of plastic choking our oceans
Plastic choking our fish or plastic choking YOU
There will be no children playing in rivers polluted by the fashion industry
To satisfy our demand for cheap clothing
There will be no more recycling deported to countries who can't afford to SAY NO
Because the extinction will not be televised
There will be no HD footage of
Blue whales gasping for air, starving polar bears, or rainforests bulldozed for livestock
because THEY WILL ALL BE GONE
Brexit, immigration and the latest Marvel movie will no longer be so damned relevant
And people will not care if the new Minecraft update EVER comes out
Because the extinction will not be televised
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