Information for schools
affected by bushfire

We are committed to supporting members of our community affected by the recent bushfires. Schools with concerns regarding the impact of the bushfires on the delivery of their learning programs should contact us on (03) 9032 1700.

Resources for teachers and educators

Our Bushfire Education website offers a series of sequenced lesson plans under the themes of ‘Learning about bushfires’, ‘Preparing for bushfires’, ‘Responding to bushfires’ and ‘Recovering from bushfires’. Each lesson plan has a specific learning intention and links to relevant curriculum areas and additional resources.

For early childhood educators, the following resources may be helpful in supporting children and parents, carers and guardians in bushfire-affected communities:

• Helping children after bushfire, published by the Department of Education and Training.
• How to talk to your children about Australia’s bushfire emergency, published by Unicef Australia.
• Birdie’s Tree, a series of online books with games and information sheets for educators and parents, published by the Queensland Centre for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health.
• Supporting our most vulnerable and victimised children, published by Early Childhood Australia, which examines how trauma can affect cognitive development in early childhood.
• The Talking Matters information sheet, Supporting children through time of fire, which includes suggestions from a range of different sources.
• Talking to children about what is happening in Australia, a recent post published by the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne.

In addition, the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience (AIDR) supports learning initiatives that enable students to develop understanding of the harmful impacts of natural hazards, and to apply this knowledge to help build safer, stronger communities. AIDR refers to these initiatives as ‘disaster resilience education’. Schools, working in partnership with emergency services and related organisations, can provide opportunities for students to take protective action before, during and after an emergency, reducing the risk of disaster and promoting student wellbeing. For more information, including resources for educators working in bushfire recovery, go to the Education for Young People website.