Juvenile brown snake found in the reading corner of a Willunga classroom

Teacher strikes might be on the agenda, but this snake didn’t strike when it slithered among cushions in a southern town’s classroom, forcing students to evacuate outside.

A juvenile venomous snake was found among the cushions of the reading corner by a student at a school in Willunga.

The juvenile Eastern Brown snake was discovered in the early morning by a student of Willunga Waldorf School who moved some cushions in the reading corner and spotted the reptile.

Seasoned snake catcher Ange Broadstock from Snake Catchers Adelaide responded to the call just after 9:30am on Wednesday morning.

A student found this young snake in a Willunga classroom. Picture: Facebook

“A young girl spotted the snake and told her teacher, and they called in another teacher to watch while they evacuated,” Ms Broadstock said.

“The whole class was outside doing an activity on the lawn when I arrived.

“I went in and found the snake beneath some of the cushions in a little corner … it was just a little one, about 30cm long.”

But Ms Broadstock said the students weren’t scared of their surprise classmate, as students approached her as she left.

“A young boy asked me if he could see the snake, so I got it out carefully and let them have a look, and I told them some information about Brown Snakes,” the catcher said.

Ms Broadstock commended the response by the school and the student who found the snake, and was thankful the students, especially those in “snakey areas” like Willunga, are taught about snake safety.

“Most schools get snakes, and on the odd occasion they will make their way into the classroom,” Ms Broadstock said.

“We have been doing a lot of presentations recently in child care centres and schools with our catchers to help them learn about snakes.

“Especially as young kids have a habit of just grabbing things which isn’t always a good idea … but the little girl did a great job.”