Has your child’s school closed because of the heat?

[Comeondoreen]

Unless I’ve missed it (quite possible), I’ve not seen any talk on here about this, and I’m curious so I thought I’d ask.

My child’s primary school has closed early at 12pm for two weeks in total over June and July, one of those days being closed all day. I strongly suspect next week will be similar. Most of these closures have been relatively last minute, some being emailed out the morning of.

Personally this isn’t a problem for me, as I work for myself and can be extremely flexible. I also know my child can be a horror in extreme heat so I’m very happy to have them home where they won’t cause problems! But I can imagine it’s been a total nightmare for other parents regarding work.

My child’s school is quite newly built and they say the building has been about 35 degrees most days during the heatwaves, even with fans on, blinds drawn, etc, they say it’s been unbearable. I’m told behaviour has been awful, and very little learning has been happening.

I’m just wondering how normal our experience is? We’re in the midlands/north-ish, I think the highest temperature we’ve had has been 34 degrees which was during that first hot spell in June. It surely must be much worse for people down south.

I suppose I’m thinking this is surely not a sustainable situation going forward if this is what our summers will be like from now on? Surely it’s now necessary to install aircon - though, of course, I know the school will have no money for this. I imagine it will take years of the situation getting a whole lot worse before any action is taken…

During the first heatwave in late June, I know 2 schools who closed for a day, and most schools let parents collect their child/ren early (after lunch). School was still open for those who weren't collected.

However, this time no local schools have closed or given the option of an early collection.

2 weeks of closures is excessive, and i'm surprised the parents aren't being more vocal about it.

We’re in the Southeast and DCs primary school hasn’t closed at all. We had a few days of optional early pick ups when it was at its hottest last heatwave, and nothing this time.

Well @Whinge I suppose I did wonder why I’d seen little talk of it on mumsnet, I thought if other schools were similar to ours there would surely be more threads about it!

To be fair, the parents might well be vocal, I wouldn’t know too much as my child has a disability necessitating exit and entry at a different time and through a different entrance from the main school. Therefore I don’t get any of the school gates chat and don’t really know many parents - except for handful of other disability/SEN parents, and most of them either don’t work or work flexibly as I do due to their child’s needs, so naturally it’s less of a problem for us. Though I have just signed up for the PTA in the hope of mixing a little more, so maybe I will hear all about it then!

Same as PP - 4 days last time where we could collect at 2pm if we wanted, but school still open for those who didn't. As normal this week apart from sports day cancelled (it had been rearranged from the last heatwave). London, so it reached 36ish on Thurs and would have been hot inside, but no idea how hot.

Similar to others, we had one Friday in the last heatwave when you could pick up at 1.30 if you wanted but otherwise, they carried on as normal including afterschool clubs and wraparound care. I did withdraw DS from football club one day when it was 37 degrees here. They were happy to go ahead but I wasn’t convinced that running around for an hour was a good idea, even with water breaks.

Interesting to hear thank you! Are your schools quite old buildings? Or newer? Like I said, ours is quite new - it looks lovely and has lots of very big windows, so I imagine it’s a bit like a greenhouse in there. Perhaps not the most sensible design for future-proofing!

Some schools in my area closed at lunch during the last heatwave (well optional lunch time pick ups)

But I would say that aircon is on the agenda for future planning at a lot of schools i am involved in governance at. Schools dont have money - but its been so disruptive to learning for about 3 to 5 years now. They dont have to aircon the entire school to have an impact, even cooling the library, canteen and sports hall for instance would give spaces to cool down in between lessons and some lessons might be possible in those spaces too on a rota. One school I worked in put aircon in the 4 hottest classrooms and they were used at break times for others too cool off and some bits of the day they doubled up - like story time (infant school)

We’re in Greater London area.

First heatwave, parents could collect after lunch register on the Thursday and Friday. This heatwave has been the same for the past two days. Our school is an old building without air con but has mobile units with air con, so less children meant they could be accommodated within a cool environment. As such, it meant no learning for those four afternoons but playing board games/colouring etc.

We had problems with our heating system in the winter, so school is looking at a combined system to replace it. Otherwise, we’ll be back to wearing coats inside in the winter and kids going home early next summer.

we haven’t closed in the midlands but have had an optional earlier pick up. Yesterday by 9am it was already unbearable, we spent most of the morning outside in the shade and under the trees which was much more pleasant.

behaviour at this time of year is normally not as good, as the children (and staff) are tired and counting down to the holidays. The heat, lack of good quality sleep is non conductive to any learning or children being able to regulate themselves easily.

it won’t happen but schools will need to rethink education and opening times for future summers if these very hot temperatures continue (even 25 in a normal summer is too hot for a classroom environment). Whether that is starting the school day earlier and finishing earlier

In the last heat wave we had two days of optional 1.30pm pick ups. Nothing this time but it hasn’t been quite as hot. Midlands too.

I think you’re right @itispersonal - do you think adjusting school holiday dates would help also?

Any changes would affect working parents and I’m sure that would be very difficult, and wraparound/general child care would need to change also? But I think you’re right that ultimately things will need a rethink

In the last heatwave we had 2 days where the parents could pick up early. When I asked our head yesterday she said the DFE guidance was to stay open. Our children had definitely had enough yesterday.

Im not sure about changing the schools holiday start date maybe have them be longer seeing as we one of the shortest school summer holiday comparatively to other countries!!!

Schools have become firstly babysitting services for parents, then about education! We had parents who have been off or wfh and openly say I’m not picking them up early as it’s free childcare!!!!
But if we did have summer opening hours- wrap around care would have to change too. Maybe if schools did 8 til 2 with a 30 minute lunch break. Our children haven’t been allowed to go outside for long 15 minutes at lunch, as too hot even though the classroom is hotter and we have a school woods and lots of trees for shaded outdoor play.

Our school did week before last when it was first really hot.

They were adamant they were staying open. Sending passive agressive emails about putting your child’s education first and how any absence would be unacceptable and unauthorised. They even said sports days would still be going ahead.

It’s an academy and they are obsessed with attendance. It’s not a great area with lots of issues, so whole school attendance only scrapes 90% so they are constantly under pressure to raise it.

Then on the Wednesday afternoon, it hit 34 degrees and was due to be the same the next day, and they sent out an alert at 1pm saying if you can, please collect your children now as the buildings are an unsafe temperature.

The children were all wringing with sweat. The teachers were all furious, so many had been very vocal all week about how the children shouldn’t be in as the building gets too hot. There’s no shade on the playground or the field.

It wasn’t the teachers, they were so apologetic (the day before, my child’s year one teacher was saying how wink wink there seemed to be a lot of tummy aches today, I hope lots of children don’t come down with d&V and need 48 hours off.

The Friday was a random inset day anyway, so it was good for them to miss the worst of it.

We closed for 2 days in the last heatwave when we were in a red weather warning.

red is classed as a risk to life, including from disruption to infrastructure and emergency services so fair dos.

i heard nothing from parents complaining about the impact to work

@itispersonal yes I suppose UK summer holidays are quite short. My mum told me that in her country they had two and a half months for summer. They had longer winter breaks too. But no Easter break as not really celebrated there - I think it’s nice to have Easter break here in the uk. Perhaps half term breaks would have to go if the uk made summer holidays longer?

That’s awful @OneHangryHiker ! It’s surprising to me how little foresight there has been in both building and playground design re hot weather - even if climate change wasn’t a thing, even normal British summer temperatures are enough to benefit from outdoor shade and cooler buildings! But it’s all easier said than done, especially with low budgets. I drove through a new build estate last week, and they have planted masses of trees compared to any normal housing estate. I wonder if these things will be thought of much more in the future.

I also think more thought needs to go into sun exposure too. My children burn much easier than I do which really worries me. I am concerned by how lax attitudes are to UV in this country. I suppose that’s also why I’ve been happy to pick up earlier, as it means I can get them home out the sun and reapply their suncream!

I totally get the buildings. The school was built in the 1930s. They have done a lot of work to it over the last few years, but that was mainly insulating the place to death and putting in glass walls and roof windows everywhere that only open an inch. So not exactly helpful for the summer.

No it hasn't. Nor has the one I work in!

We’re right in the south and in the thick of it and local schools have shut for a max of 3 days/afternoons during the June wave. Although ours still gave the option to go in so not a true closure. 2 weeks seems very mad.

Why is a newly built school not equipped for the sun !!

No. We’re in the south east and our primary has stayed open the whole time, no early closes. Attendance has been very low, it was 70% in the red warning week and the Head has been raging about people not sending kids in.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/jul/11/uk-pupils-struggle-extreme-heat-schools-classrooms?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Thankfully my children’s primary is fully air-conditioned, so no

we're in SE, dd is in a classroom on second floor of a new build in primary school with no air con and huge glass windows that open a few inches at the bottom. It’s been hitting 37 to 39 in the room (TA has told me the temps) They closed one Friday afternoon only and expect the kids in all the time. The head said they have got to get used to it!!

Three closures in one secondary, none in the other. First two were 12.30 closures in first heatwave, yesterday was 1.20 finish.
Only have aircon in a handful of rooms and rest have been sweltering/untenable.
This isn't new in Europe though where snow days and heat days have always been a thing. UK were the exception with its temperate maritime climate but now we face extremes like everyone else, buildings and housing will need to be adapted.