The Year 1 pupil was taken by ambulance to the South East Regional Hospital on Wednesday afternoon and was back at school the next day after receiving only a scratch, the school’s education manager Reagan White said on Friday.

“It is a reminder that those animals are there and in our environment,” Ms White said.

“He backed away, told his teacher and our first aid response was fast.”

The school has since sent a letter to all parents to better educate families on snake behaviour.

“It is very important for parents to talk to their children about snakes and safety,” she said.

Ms White said the school was taking extra precautions to make sure all compost bin lids are closed as the warmth generated by them can be attractive to snakes.

Director of environmental consultancy firm EnviroKey Steve Sass said reptiles experience a dormancy state known as brumation during the colder months of the year.

“There’s a very false misconception that reptiles hibernate, they actually bruminate,” he said.

“Mammals generate their own body temperature while reptiles rely on the outside temperature which means if it’s warm they’ll come out.

“The black snake would have been out on a half sunny day and it probably wasn’t at its optimal temperature and they can have a nervous disposition, especially the young ones.”

Mr Sass said the most important lesson to be taken away from the incident is the fact the snake did not release venom when it struck the boy, but warned anyone who thinks they may have been bitten to seek medical attention as quickly as possible.

“Bega is on a floodplain which is a diverse ecosystem so at the end of the day the snakes are not going away,” he said.

“Black snakes are way more scared than us.

However, Mr Sass said they have been known to even consume an adult brown snake.

“So if you have black snakes around you are less likely to have brown snakes around,” he said.