00:00So, what's the fire ratings, Penelope?
00:05Harkaway Primary School's Bushfire Committee is busy preparing evacuation kits for summer.
00:10A firebox is something that we'd use if the fire danger ratings are either high or there
00:17is a fire near you.
00:18This small school in Melbourne's outer suburban fringe has a strong focus on the local environment.
00:25Senior students teach younger children about marine ecology.
00:28It is a sponge, it's called a sea sponge.
00:33They also learn about native wildlife and monitor the health of nearby creeks.
00:39Principal Lee Johnson wants his students to become experts in sustainability.
00:43We want our kids to have amazing ideas about things they can do to help their environment,
00:48to help the future of the planet, to gain that understanding, but then to do stuff with
00:53that that actually makes them excited and hopeful about their future.
00:58But not every school has the same approach.
01:00Updates to the National Curriculum in 2022 put a greater emphasis on teaching climate
01:06change in Australian schools, but researchers say many teachers are afraid to incorporate
01:11it into their classes, deeming it too controversial.
01:14We've had principals in our research say, for example, our climate change is too hard,
01:19our community is not ready for that.
01:22Some teachers just refuse to do it.
01:24There are opportunities in our curriculum to explore climate change, but those opportunities
01:29are not necessarily mandated and they're not necessarily well resourced.
01:33Do you reckon you can work with the others to save the planet?
01:36Lee Johnson believes climate change education is vital in combating eco-anxiety.
01:42There's a lot of competing ideas about what schools are for, but if we can consolidate
01:46that into the idea that schools give children agency, then I think the future's in good
01:50hands.
01:51I just think that kids have a right to learn about this stuff.
01:55Empowering children to navigate a changing world.
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