Attenborough College

David Attenborough

Our Post-16 provision has been going from strength to strength over the last five years and we are thrilled that this has been recognised with the opportunity to become a college in our own right. We will be known as Attenborough College, named in honour of Sir David Attenborough, the world-renowned environmentalist, scientist, author and broadcaster.

When Post-16 students began the process of selecting which college figurehead would be the best fit for them, a clear picture emerged very quickly. Students were split evenly between two choices from the list of 25 names they were given: Nelson Mandela and Sir David Attenborough. Each tutor group presented their choice of figurehead to Mr Burton and four presentations then went forward to Mrs Collins. Trying to convince her to adopt the name Mandela College for Post-16 were Year 12 students Nathaniel Forcella-Burton and Celyn Askew from Chaucer 13 and Year 13 student Adetoyosi Odeka from Darwin 15. Aiming to persuade Mrs Collins to choose Attenborough College for Post-16 were Year 12 students Josh Bramwell and Alfie Lawrence from Brunel 13 and Year 13 students Jack Perfect and Owen Walker from Da Vinci 15.

We are grateful to all the students who engaged in this momentous project but particularly grateful to the students who took on the challenge of presenting to Mrs Collins. Sir David Attenborough prevailed but the presentations in favour of Nelson Mandela went a long way in convincing her to award Mandela to one of the four existing colleges.

The new figureheads chosen for the current four colleges represent the spheres of public service, science and the arts, so we are delighted that we have been given a figurehead who encapsulates all of those fields of excellence. Sir David Attenborough has been relentless over many decades in his determination to spotlight the extraordinary diversity that exists within the natural world and how interdependent we are on it. He was warning of an impending climate crisis, the ill-effects of global warming and the outcomes of the loss of natural habitats long before the thinking of the rest of the world caught up and we seek to emulate his determination, resilience and compassion. Our Post-16 students know that their own and future generations will pay the cost of previous generations who did not heed Sir David’s warnings but they have a determination to save our planet and follow Sir David’s lead in making the world a more peaceful and harmonious place in which to live for everyone and every species. As such, he is a living example of the IB Learner Profile Characteristic of being BALANCED, which explicitly teaches young people to recognise their interdependance on one another and the world in which they live.

From September, Attenborough College will be based, with the library, in the centre of the academy building, where you will see the new college name displayed proudly in our college colour, which is purple. Students will enjoy a brand new study centre and additional study space on the upper floor of the library. We hope that students in Mandela, Curie, Seacole and Shakespeare Colleges will aspire to join Attenborough College - and work alongside the great number of students who choose to transfer to The Leigh Academy - for their Post-16 education.

Mr Lee Forcella-Burton, Director of Post-16, leading Attenborough College