Very cold classrooms

[ZolaGrey]

My 10 year older daughter just got in the car after school and she is frozen, her lips are chapped and her fingers are freezing.

It turns out that the school have decided not to heat the classrooms and that all doors and windows have to be open all the time, it's been around 3-6° all day here. She's had her coat on all day.

I've said that she could take a hoodie or similar in tomorrow but she said they're not allowed as it's not uniform, they have however been told they can wear hats, scarves and fingerless gloves in the classroom

I would imagine that if I kept my house unheated, with all the doors and windows open all the time that I would be accused of some kind of neglect.

Am I right to be unhappy about the set up? I'm a bit over stressed at the minute so I'm not sure how reasoned my reactions are to things currently!

How are everybody else's school approaching this? Has anybody had any logics information to back up this approach?

At the school I teach at pupils are allowed to wear their coats in the classroom. I've bought and worn thicker cardigans and finger less gloves. Not ideal but open doors and windows are the only 'protection ' we have in classrooms.

Dd has the following to wear when the temp drops

Tights, midi length cullotes or a skirt or trousers. I have grey leg warmers knitted for when it gets colder and sheepskin liners for her shoes.

Vest, thermal long sleeve, polo shirt, tank top, school sweat shirt, polar fleece, gilet.

Then I have knitted her wrist warmers and she has a snood.

Then she will have her coat for play times.

I have found school coloured layers on Amazon and Sainsbury’s, and primark have cheap but effective thermal layers and she has other better ski layers when it gets Baltic!!

Teacher did ask Dd not to wear her snood, but I am going to override that I think. It’s too cold otherwise.

This is why thermal school tights sold out in John Lewis!

I really hope that my DC's classrooms are well ventilated and agree there's no point wasting heat to the outside. I've just got them more vests, thermal tights and long johns.

@Kokapetl

This is why thermal school tights sold out in John Lewis!

I really hope that my DC's classrooms are well ventilated and agree there's no point wasting heat to the outside. I've just got them more vests, thermal tights and long johns.

Yes I've just looked online and thermal stocks are definitely not abundant!

Two days a week she wears PE kit to school so I can bundle her up a lot better then without her feeling like the Michelin man!

I'm going to dig out our woolies and hopefully I've got a big scarf/think pashmina type thing she can take and use as a blanket. Snood is a good shout too, they're much less annoying than flappy scarves!

@Paul72

I'm surprised that it is legal to ask the teacher to work in those temperatures. I thought there were minimum temperatures required in the workplace. It sounds terrible for your daughter. (I'm pleased that our local bus drivers have seen sense and all the windows are now closed on the buses)

I’m confused. How is it ‘seeing sense’ to prevent an enclosed environment from being ventilated during a pandemic which has been proven to spread in unventilated spaces? Are you aware of the high numbers of fatalities from Covid 19 amongst bus drivers?

Hilarious.
Pandemic, Windows open, backward ideas that there is no point having the heating on and to add insult to injury...

We must stick to the uniform rules too boot.

What planet are these people on. Is this why we struggle to turn out suitable politicians! What Rot is going on in these schools... What nonsense are we teaching the children!

Imagine in ww2... Sorry kids, no gas masks it's against uniform regulation.

Op, I would be kicking up an almighty stink. I would be speaking to the school and then contacting mps and papers.

We thank fully.... Have the heating on which definitely takes the cold edge off, we have windows open within reason and students are allowed to wear warm clothes!!

• d of e guidelines say.. Along the lines of, being counter intuitive to have the heating on with open windows but it's a pandemic and we need to mitigate risk.

We need to reduce the viral load. Everywhere with windows open and masks, we would be reducing viral load and the virus spread.

What a country of big babies we are with this fear of a draft!! Wrap up!

There is no such thing as too cold, just not warm enough clothing.
It's every shoulder to the wheel to get us through winter as safely as possible

@safariboot

That is completely unacceptable from the school. It absolutely warrants a "raise hell" level response. If you do social media, how about a tweet @ your local newspaper.

Ridiculous.

How are everybody else's school approaching this? Has anybody had any logics information to back up this approach?

Secondary - dunno!

Primary - we’re so sorry that the classrooms will be colder this wi yet because we need to kept airflow and ventilation so although the heating will be on the windows will also be open and so you’re encouraged to dress your children in extra layers, and non-uniform fleeces and hoodies can be worn too. No coats in classrooms.

I have just spent a fortune on thermal base layers for my kids. They have been complaining of the cold for a few weeks now, at first the schools were sticking rigidly to uniform, but I presume after an onslaught of parental pressure, they can now wear fleece, hoodies etc over their uniforms, unfortunately hats are still not allowed which I think is crazy.
I have my youngest in thermal vest, shirt and jumper uniform, she wears a fleece body warmer, a soft jacket and her school coat in top. She still is cold.
I have ordered the base layers and fingerless gloves for next week.
We are having a cold snap around here!

The windows are going to have to be open and yes, for the first time classrooms are going to be absolutely perishing and will get worse as winter goes on.

So the uniform strict policy has to be the thing that gives. That's ridiculous, it was not designed for this circumstance. That's the part I'd be jumping all over; everyone has to wear whatever they need to wear to stay warm.

It's perfectly possible to dress for the weather, outdoor nurseries do it with their kids all year round. Camping clothes, lined trousers, thermal tights and socks, multiple layers, fleece, kids should be able to attend school in ski suits and with thermoses of hot chocolate and hot water bottles if necessary, the whole point is that they're still able to go to school.

It's an airborne virus, and there are people from many households crammed in small spaces for an hour, maybe two, at a time. Anywhere else, it would be an illegal gathering, because there's no possible way of distancing and masks not allowed. So much for hands, face, space.

I'm guessing it's just your household in your house, so not a good comparison.

@PickleWithEverything

Hi, my DD is right beside the open window, so she gets very cold too. Their uniform is also white polo shirt under a cardigan with skirt and tights. On the basis it is too cold to take her cardigan off, I've been layering a long sleeve white Tshirt under the polo shirt, as well as a thermal vest. I bought black leg warmers to go over her tights and on very cold days I will put black leggings on her over the tights. She has fingerless gloves, several pairs so I can wash them like her uniform. The ones with a mitten flap that you can button down are good, as when listening she can tuck her fingers inside the flap.

I have told her, if she gets very cold, to put her hand up and say she cannot concentrate because she is shivering so much, and politely ask if she can put on her hat and scarf. School has allowed them to lay their coats over their knees when they are chilly, so I think they will be reasonable.

It is a bit tough on them but better than not being in school at all, I think.

I’d be asking if teachers can rotate pupils desks so no one sits by the open window for more than one session eg 30-40mins.....even penguins do a rotation of those on outside going into the middle to warm up😂😂

Our school do have the heating on, also they are allowed to wear hoodies and coats. My 11 year old was the same today though came out and her hands were blue! Not pleasant I imagine 😩

As an addendum to that: PTAs and other community groups need to start thinking about collecting and supplying schools with cold weather gear for kids to wear on site whose families aren't able to provide it.

I don’t understand why they can’t relax the uniform policy, I let kids wear coats but if the head catches them they are told to take them off

@NullcovoidNovember another one kicking up a stink and wanting to contact MPs and papers. The OP sounds as though she is looking for reasonable measures to protect her daughter from being too cold yet acknowledging the need for covid protocol.

Suggestions like yours just sound like troublemaking.

What about the parents who can’t afford ski suits for their DC, it’s become quite clear that some parents struggle to afford to feed their DC. What happens when there’s snow on the ground in the north of the country and in Scotland, it’s not sustainable. I agree with wrapping up in thermals and layers but that can only go so far when it’s below zero outside with a gale and snow blowing through open windows.

Am I the only person who thinks having all the windows open like this in schools is just ridiculous all winter ? Especially without heating.

No, the heating should be on.
It is in thousands of schools and children should be allowed to wear warm clothes and uniform restrictions should be relaxed in a pandemic and a national lock down where dc are still attending Mass gatherings.

Maybe you feel her dc wearing a fleece at this moment in time is a huge no, no.

I. Do. Not.

@safariboot

That is completely unacceptable from the school. It absolutely warrants a "raise hell" level response. If you do social media, how about a tweet @ your local newspaper.

Ah wonderful. As if schools haven't got enough shit to deal with right now.

This is really tough, should the school build in exercises or something to warm them up. In the smaller schools where children aren't changing classrooms that must be a nightmare.
My very large 17 yr old boy has found it really difficult so I dread to think how it must be for small children.
I'm always puzzled that schools can't communicate better regarding these sort of issues, why not warn parents that they'll need extra layers.

@Spinakker

Am I the only person who thinks having all the windows open like this in schools is just ridiculous all winter ? Especially without heating.

Ventilation is required if schools are to remain open

DDs primary school have relaxed the rules partially due to the uniform shop shutting for the lockdown but also due to the cold weather. They're allowing long sleeved polos or thermals underneath polos and any jumper or hoodie as long as it's navy blue, black or grey.

DD insists on a skirt or pinafore and can't wear tights due to a condition she has meaning she struggles to know she needs the toilet so she wears a shin length skirt/pineafore and I pull her socks up. She then has a fleece lined jacket I send her in. She seems to be warm enough although always covers her legs at home with a blanket/her coat now so think they cover her legs at school.

I'm sure there are going to be posts about chilblains before long. I feel really sorry for all pupils and teachers this winter. I guess at least the teacher can move around a bit during the lessons, but I get so cold if I sit still even in cool weather. And, as @allSaladfingersscaresme said, it's horrible for those who can't afford decent layers of clothes.