Thousands of Victorian students are heading out to school camps where they will develop new skills and connect better with classmates and teachers – while boosting their physical and emotional health.

Minister for Education Natalie Hutchins today met students from Newlands Primary School in West Preston who are attending Camp Marysville.

Eighty students from across grades 4, 5 and 6 are attending the three-day camp in Marysville – enjoying and learning from activities including a visit to Lake Mountain to enjoy the snow, rock climbing, canoeing and a campfire.

The Victorian Budget 2023/24 has invested $299 million over four years to increase funding for the Camps, Sports, and Excursions Fund (CSEF), and give teachers and support staff extra pay for their time and effort at school camps.

This means schools will also now have more flexibility with how they staff school camps with teachers and support staff properly recognised for their time supporting students.

Teachers and support class staff who attend camps will now receive time-in-lieu of $200 or up to four hours in overtime payments per night away. This has been backdated to the start of the year.

The Labor Government has also announced a boost in funding of $25 per student for the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund in recognition of the increases in the costs of camps, sports and excursions.

Eligibility for the CSEF is primarily for families with a valid means-tested concession card, or for families who may not have a concession card like foster carers and asylum seeker/refugee families.