Every child from Prestfelde School helped to plant the saplings, which will form new hedges in the 30-acre grounds of the school’s London Road site.

The scheme is part of the UK’s largest tree-planting mission, run by conservation charity the Woodland Trust, which is aiming to see 20 million native trees planted a year for the next 50 years.

“We have 270 pupils aged from three to 13 at Prestfelde and they all worked in pairs, with even the youngest digging in to help with this campaign, which they found very exciting,” said teacher Miss Sophie Richards.

“We are very proud of our green credentials here at Prestfelde – we achieved ‘Eco Schools’ status earlier this year – so we were keen to get involved with the Woodland Trust.

“The shrubs the trust has provided are all native broadleaved, such as blackthorn, hawthorn and crab apple, which means that with a little luck they will be growing on well into the next century, leaving a lasting legacy here.”

Sophie said that as part of the project the pupils had been learning about the importance of trees and how everyone could contribute to improving the environment.

The Woodland Trust is offering more free hedge and copse packs to schools in Shropshire. To register for a pack visit www.MoreTreesMoreGood.org.uk

Paul Bunton of the Woodland Trust commented: “These packs can inspire children to really get in touch with nature and learn about the ecology of some wonderful habitats.

“Educating today’s children about the benefit of looking after our environment will help protect the forests of tomorrow. The campaign will hopefully make a lasting impact on the UK landscape – with the help of our young children.”