To think closing schools or making them "optional" during the heatwave is putting pressure on working parents and is just a bit silly?

Right?! How dare people be given a choice so that they can make the most appropriate decision based on their child's needs and their home arrangements?

Shocking.

Damned if they do, damned if they don't. And this is no difference to closures when it snows. No weather prediction is 100% accurate (1987 hurricane anyone?) so the schools leave it until there is as much certainty as there can be - as I say, they do it with snow too.

Take 30 kids who are all hot and sweating, add in their teacher, maybe 1 or 2 TA’s, an enclosed classroom with probably no blinds, no air con, they are lucky if they have a fan, and windows that only open a couple of centimetres = hideous conditions to ‘work’ in. The temperature of that classroom is likely to be hotter than outside.

These heatwaves are going to get more frequent due to climate change and UK buildings - both old and new builds - are simply not designed for this kind of weather.

Future building regs need to be urgently changed to take into account that housing and buildings need to be able to release heat; existing buildings need air con retro-fitted (which no one wants to pay for/the government won’t fund) and at the very least blinds and industrial fans.

People also need to remember that because they are ‘fine’ in extreme heat, doesn’t mean everyone else is. And wittering on about the summer of ‘76 is just tedious now.

If schools have to provide 190 days of education will they add some extra time at the end of term due to the closures ? At least the teachers will have time to prepare their reports .

Hard disagree. It's 38 degrees in London tomorrow. Today my son's school was 5 degrees warmer inside than out (ie: 39 inside). If it's the same tomorrow it will be 43 degrees indoors. Those are temperatures that will severely harm young children, not to mention the responsibility of a school towards the teachers who are their employees and should not be working in those conditions.

I work. I've arranged a babysitter for the day and set up a paddling pool in the garden. Yes, my kids probably 'wouldn't die' but I aspire to a slightly higher standard of wellbeing than non-death for my kids.

Across Europe schools are closed when temperatures are this high.

For parts of the UK that are 30 and under - yeah they just need to get over it.

My son’s class was in and they werent doing proper lessons anyway.

Oh and with no notice. I have to plan 10 hours of online lessons (mine is a practical subject) for my pupils and register them. When would you like me to prepare those lessons - I didn’t have any non contact time.

This.
And younger children are very vulnerable to heatstroke. It makes me angry its seen as a joke.

Are you in a red area?

There's already a thread on this; https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5545964-aibu-to-think-school-closures-ignore-parents-work-commitments

My room is completely in the shade and in an old building with thick walls. We had 4 very large fans going. By 3 pm it was 32 degrees. In the main building it was 37 in some classrooms. Pregnant staff vomiting. Most staff having taught from 8am - most with migraines. There is no air con. None. No breeze. It is unwise and not fair on anyone and not safe. Unions say you should be able to keep your room at 26 degrees. The reality is most classrooms are greenhouses.

It’s optional and people are still complaining. If they closed people would complain and if they remained open they would complain.

No winning is there?

I work in a school. It is ridiculously hot.

I do think there needs to be a clear decision though and schools either need to be fully open or fully closed, not an option as that's where it becomes tricky and just a day of babysitting as you can't teach anything properly if half the class aren't there.

You clearly have no idea how unbearable it is in schools atm.

Our schools said the younger ones in classrooms with no AC can stay home authorised tomorrow and Thursday if we want.

We need to work so they will go to school. I have no guilt! They will survive, albeit a bit sweaty and grouchy 😂

My kids’ school has said we can pick up early. My expectation is that some parents will (I suspect they’ve said people can pick up early because some parents have emailed in asking!), so at least the school will have less hot and bothered children to teach which might be a bit easier.

I will not be picking mine up because I’m at work. I do generally think the school is a bit shit for working parents but I’m not too fussed about this, more worried about not attending trips and shows because they only give a week’s notice!

People who think it's unreasonable generally have zero experience of what's happening in schools this week and yet still think they can spout off about it.

It depends on the area and how cool they can keep it inside. Have you been inside a school when its 35 degree? It’s dangerous.
Giving the option is great as it also means fewer bodies in class. You do realise theyre not actually doing proper lessons in this heat? Mine spent the whole day being hosed off and eating ice creams and playing wirh water in the hall. My little one‘s nursery is closing midday because toddlers collapsing with heatstroke isnt fun.

Yes as a country we need to adapt our building with air con and potentially start ‘tropical hours’ like other schools. It’s not the 80s anymore where the maximum is one day of 30 degrees. 40 is very different.

YANBU. I’m a SAHM and I think it’s ridiculous how much people are overreacting to the heat.