Reef Guardian Schools

The Reef Guardian Schools program has been running since 2003, the program encourages teachers and students to take actions that help protect the Great Barrier Reef and its connected ecosystems. 2023 marks the 20-year anniversary of the program, more than 350,000 students have attended a Reef Guardian School since its inception.

Visit the Reef Guardian School portal to see their collective actions.

2023 Reef Guardian School Eco Challenge Winners

Imagine yourself ten years into the future. What would the Reef look like? What career would you have to protect it? Would you be a robot pilot or a human habitat designer? Would you work with the latest waste management systems or an artificial intelligence educator?

We put this question to Reef Guardian School students to share with us how they would use future skills to do their part to protect the Reef. 

Students as young as eight tackled the big issues facing the Reef, including climate change, coral bleaching, coastal development and marine debris, by creating jobs and even workforces of the future.

Guided by the Reef 2050 plan, they used their knowledge of science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics to develop a plan to educate the public to take action and safeguard the Reef.

For Magnetic Island State School year six students, their Coral Crusader team combined future skills as drone designers, aerospace engineers, and machine learning developers to harness cutting-edge drone and submarine technology driven by artificial intelligence as they tackle crown-of-thorns starfish. 

Lillian from Trinity College in Gladstone recognises the incredible role that tourism can play in the protection of the Reef. Channelling her inner gardener, Lillian will help her guests provide food to struggling corals and tend to her coral gardens by ridding them of pests, all with the help of the latest artificial intelligence and robotics. 

The Eco Challenge is just one of the free curriculum-based programs offered to Reef Guardian Schools each year by the Reef Authority. Schools worldwide can become Reef Guardians and access an incredible network of like-minded schools and resources.

To learn more about the Reef Guardian School Program and how your school can get involved, visit the Reef Authority's Reef Ed Portal. For further information or enquiries, email reefguardians@gbrmpa.gov.au

Image of Jahrabi, Jai, Thomas and Lily holding their certificates shared by Teacher: Jeremy Pullen (*Clay Gibson absent from image)
 
Image of Lily holding her certificate shared by Teacher: Gail Riches

Educational resources and programs

These resources are curriculum-linked for all year levels, from early learning to grade 12.

Virtual Learning Experiences

Wherever you are in the world, experience the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef with a Virtual Learning Experience. These interactive and engaging learning experiences, linked to the Australian Curriculum, are delivered by our team of experienced marine educators. There are ten experiences to choose from and we can even customise one to suit your learning needs.

Resources for each year level and by theme

These are curriculum-linked teaching materials specifically developed to be integrated in school learning as science-focused units.

There are units for each year level – from early learning to grade 12 – making it an easy resource for teachers to utilise.

Teachers can explore all resources by topic, including coastal ecosystems, endangered species, extreme weather, the Great Barrier Reef, Indigenous use, marine debris, responsible reef practices, climate change, tourism and water quality.

To access resources, visit our new interactive Reef Guardian School portal.

Educational videos

The Reef Education team at Reef HQ Aquarium are developing virtual lessons through YouTube videos with supporting worksheets. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay up-to-date.

Reef Beat education series

The Reef Beat education series is a popular resource for teaching primary school students. Each series focuses on a different topic and includes posters, an activity book and, in some cases, videos.

The education series covers a range of topics, including climate change, sea-country connection, sustainability, wetlands, threats to the Reef, biodiversity and more.

Be a Marine Biologist

Be a Marine Biologist for a Day is a package of educational resources to assist teachers, marine tourism operators and reef guides in facilitating high-quality experiential learning excursions for students visiting the Great Barrier Reef.

This comprehensive suite of educational resources includes customisable teaching, instructional resources and activities that are curriculum-linked and aligned with specific stages of learning from prep through to year 12.

This toolkit is based on the Reef Authority’s long-established Eye on the Reef - Rapid Monitoring reef health survey methodology and builds students’ citizen science skills.

The Be a Marine Biologist for a Day initiative brings together a number of Reef Authority programs, including Reef Guardian Schools, High Standard Tourism Operators, Master Reef Guides and our Eye on the Reef Program.