A school in Bromley has rallied behind their Australian history teacher, fundraising hundreds of pounds after she have a powerful assembly on the devastation of the recent bush fires.

Alana Briton, head of history at Bromley Independent Grammar School, said the children at her school had "restored her confidence in the future."

The pupils have so far raised over £300 in aid of the wildlife in Australia, surprising the Aussie national and far surpassing her expectations.

A staggering one billion animals are estimated to have perished in the bush fires, and the disaster has been branded a "wake-up call to the world."

The school fundraiser began when Ms Britton returned home to Sydney and Coffs Harbour over Christmas to visit family.

She told the News Shopper that what she saw over there was "heartbreaking."

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"There wasn't a single day there wasn't smoke in the air, it was a constant smell and you had to close the window to breathe.

"The effects of the fires were everywhere. No one had any water, it had all been taken up fighting the fires, and everyone was just on alert the whole time, ready to leave town at a moments notice."

She stated: "What really hit home was the amount of animals that had lost everything, the sheer number is beyond belief.

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"Australia is a country that prides itself on its wildlife, and there are animals normally terrified of humans running up to them desperate for help. It's not right."

Alana said she received lots of concerned messages of support from friends whilst she was over there, including one from the headteacher, and she said to him she would love to raise a little bit of money to see if they could help.

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When she returned to the school for the new term in the new year, the teacher also agreed with the head to give an assembly on what she had seen.

Alana, who's nephew is a volunteer firefighter in Australia (pictured below), said: "My focus was on the wildlife, I thought the kids would relate more to that the me talking about drought.

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"We looked at the koala bears specifically, they aren't fast and they can't escape, so are kind of at mercy to the fire.

"They are already an endangered species, so I said to the children imagine a future without koala bears. I remember getting a bit choked up in the assembly, and I said if you can help then please donate some coins."

The history teacher was hoping to raise around £50, but said the children started donating in droves to the point where she couldn't walk through the corridor without more trying to donate.

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With the pupils also helping out, so far they have raised over £300, whilst donations from friends of teachers will see this rise above £500. They plan on sending money to WIRES, Australia's largest wildfire rescue organisation.

Ms Britton commented: "I just felt so depressed for the future when I was over there, that's what hit me, and these young people have returned my confidence in the future.

"It's not a lot, but we're a small school and I'm really proud of them."

The children's donation joins hundreds in the UK and elsewhere in sending donations over to Australia.

One British-Australian volunteer firefighter, Stephen McDonald, said he had been stunned by the compassion of Britons, proving "the world is watching and the world cares."