If you're in a "RED ZONE" are you considering keeping your dc off school?

[SnBLurker]

Hi,

Just that really. Our area is likely going to be in the high 30's, possibly 40 on Monday/Tuesday and I'm not sure what to do.

What are your thoughts?

I’m keeping my youngest home. She goes to her specialist school by taxi and it’s like an oven in the school at the best of times. She’s prone to seizures if she overheats so I’ve already decided in keeping her home.

DS is at secondary, is meant to be going to a theme park both days. Has already asked if he can skip it as he thinks it’ll be miserable in the heat. I’m happy with that.
DD3 is primary age and her HT is usually really sensible so I’ll wait for their message, which they said should come at some point this evening. I’m hoping they close as the rooms all have big glass windows and rubbish blinds. They had trouble in winter with the glare so I can’t imagine they’ll do anything to keep the heat down.

DD’s school have already finished for the summer. But if they hadn’t, and I was working then I wouldn’t have much choice but to sens her in. I’d trust her school to manage it as best they could.

Of course mine are going in. They will take sun hats, have sun cream on and cold bottled water. I doubt they will do much work. I have to go to work. Why would schools close? Kids have missed so much with Covid, snow days etc. We will be subject to the teaching unions rightly striking soon over pay increases so schools should stay open now.

DD's secondary school is closing and giving online work, which I'm very happy about.

It's saying heavy rain now and 10 degrees cooler than originally predicted on my local forecast. Hopefully it stays that way.

Yes I am. There’s no air con in the classrooms and it’s going to be unbearable. It will also be unbearable in our house and the DC are already struggling to sleep and are knackered. Plus it’s the end of term. All of that combined means they’re just beyond themselves.
Im lucky though, I WFH and they are pretty self-sufficient. It’s not much of a faff to keep them home.

Where's that?

If you keep them off school and at home will the temperature be any less? What's the point of keeping them at home and not being able to go work the ambient temperature outside will remain the same.

Forecast here is for 37 degrees Monday and Tuesday

DS's school (state secondary) has an optional summer uniform anyway (light polo shirt and trousers/shorts/skirts). Last heatwave they suggested the students who didn't own the summer uniform wore their PE kit instead for those days.

DD's school (a different state secondary) insisted on full uniform last heatwave (blazers, ties and long sleeved shirts) although they were allowed to remove blazers and sometimes ties too when seated in lessons and blazers on the field at break times. They issued an email a few hours ago with some cut and paste self care info, the suggestion students bring sunscreen, extra water and sun hats and letting parents know there were many shady areas for them to go at break times. I phoned up to clarify whether they'd need to arrive wearing blazer and tie and was told yes, unless told otherwise. I believe students who don't adhere to uniform are sent to remove, so will consider letting DD stay home if the forecast remains 37 and they don't put something out before Monday.

Moisten the windows and press tin foil shiny side out on the insides of windows it reduces the solar gain and the heat in rooms.

We've now had a very sensible email giving us the option to not attend on Monday.

@saleorbouy

Wouldn't that also increase fire 🔥 Risk? bouncing sun off?

Will BBQ gas bottles be ok

Sale or buy

Freedom? Freedom to drink with ice, access to different foods and drinks,able to lie down ,have a fan directly on them....put feet in ice water...etc etc

So the kids who don’t have family help just have to boil in school then? Or the schools shut and I lose 2 days wages and we don’t have enough food for the following week.
Seems sensible.

My daughter's nursery has air con, so she is best off there!

What do you want to happen?

Why are you reacting like this is @ApplesandBunions own personal fault?

DFe have written to schools telling them not to close.
We are predicted 38. My classroom generally runs a couple of degrees higher than outside due to position and the addition of 30 almost adult sized bodies. No aircon. I have no other modifications I can make over and above what I do if it’s 29 degrees- water, stay in, two fans. I’m quite anxious about it - what if I keel over? What if one of them gets ill?

My house is much cooler and more shaded than my child's school.

Mine will be going in if school’s open (and as long as both well - one has covid right now). I don’t think it’s going to be much cooler at home than at school, and in any case I’m still expected to go into work.

No, the school have been in touch outlining their plans. I'm happy with their risk assessment, I don't think we could reduce it much more at home.

I will make a decision on Sunday evening. The school haven't even decided to cancel the trip to an outdoor activity held in a park for Monday. That park is 20min walk each way, from the school.

To make matter worse, they decided to hold end of class parties on Tuesday! To get our tiny children to emotionally blackmail the parents I think. This is in London.

I hope that happens here. Current forecast is 39 on Monday.

Maybe this is a sign that the English term dates need to change? I don’t understand why the children are still in school in July when schools elsewhere in the UK broke up weeks ago.