To think schools should shut in 30' heat

[dragonflyglaze]

I'm a TA in an Infant School in the South East, we break up next Thurs. This week has been tough, the little ones can't cope in the heat and as much as we try and keep them indoors, hydrated etc some of them are just not coping. Never mind the staff who are doing their best to support the children whilst slowly melting.
Next week we are forecast to hit 30' and there's an extreme weather warning. We have to close if its too cold e.g. heating not working, or too windy. I can't understand why there's no rule for extreme heat.

Why are people so against the idea that, for a lot of people, the heat is really quite unpleasant? It’s only officially 23 degrees here but I’ve just been to pick up DD from nursery and loads of the children were just flaked out on the mats because they’re knackered because it’s warmer than they’re used to and has been for a while now. This is in the 3-4 year old room where none of them usually still nap.

There are excess deaths every time there’s a heatwave. There’s a danger to life weather warning. Its forecast to be 24 degrees at midnight in London by next week. I dare say if you’re healthy and spending all day wafting around your garden you think it’s all a big fuss over nothing but it is dangerous for the very young, very old and people with a range of health conditions and disabilities and for anyone who can’t take appropriate precautions.

I’m not sure schools shutting up shop is the answer, apart from anything else the knock on effect to services from parents having to take time off would be huge. But definitely reduced levels of activity, relax uniform rules if that’ll help etc. And we should take the heat seriously.

For all those saying to sit in the shade, it is 36 degrees in the shaded area of our playground right now. That is because all the brick and concrete has heated up.

BBC forecast for now is 27 degrees. So if they playground is 36 degrees now in the shade, what will it be when the air temperature is 35 degrees and it has been hot for days?

Thankfully DD isn't in school anymore but her classmates are being sick, a girl in the year below had febrile convulsions and loads of the kids are coming home with headaches. That was with highs of 29 degrees the other day, let alone 30+.

Schools in Spain shut mid June before the real hot temps also the kids are home by 2pm. (not sure if this is the case all over Spain but I certainly was where I lived) The way the Spanish deal with the heat is by saying out of it at the hottest times. So I would see no harm in closing schools early . Apart from childcare arrangements

My DT’s went to a non uniform school so I don’t follow some of these draconian uniform rules

surely parents trump the school when it comes to the health of your children and that shorts and T-shirt with a hat is the way forward. If not, why aren’t you challenging the school, governors etc.

They're going to have to get used to these temperatures though aren't they? It's just going to get worse. This will soon be the norm and no longer referred to as a, 'heatwave'. School buildings will have to change to have air conditioning, and maybe hours will change too, such as 7am to 1pm, like they do elsewhere. We have to adapt to this weather.

I would not hold your breath about air conditioning.
But relaxing uniform requirements and changing summer holidays are easy no-cost solutions. Even with climate change most of the very hot weather tends to be in July, so have the summer break then.

Air conditioning isn’t going to help global warming - will just make the temperatures continue to increase?

Only way to afford that would be laying off most of our teachers.

Running air conditioning is expensive.

so air con is expensive to install....expensive to run....and bad for the environment

a quick read on how bad it is for the planet has shocked me!!

That sounds sensible. I got an email from GSs Head yesterday saying they could go in in PE shorts and t shirts rather than uniform today and dropping him off I'd say all the kids had done just that.

Well quite - it's not that we have to 'get used' to such temperatues in school/workpaces, it's that it'll soon have to be a requirement to have adequate air con.

Uk schools break up far too late! They should finish early June! That’s what most of Europe does.
schooldays normally start and finish earlier as well , thus avoiding the very hot weather.

air con is bad for the environment .... how can that be the answer....how many schools in the UK alone would need it? all of them?

My school just emailed to say they are in talks with the local authority on how to proceed in the hot weather. By Friday the decision will have been made to close Monday and Tuesday next week I'm sure of it. They said they may switch to home learning but no one will do it on the last 2 days before summer.

Id be in favour of a partial school closure I.e those whose families can keep them at home are allowed so that those left have space, can have water play etc.

A school near me currently has ofsted in - that is flipping ridiculous!

Hahahahahahahahahaha

Your kid is either in private school or you aren't in the UK. Our schools here are lucky they have a roof in some cases, and even then they leak. Kids being taught in portacabins. No they do not all have air conditioning.

I don't think they should be kept home though. If high temperatures are so bad for them, why do parents think nothing of taking them away to places like Greece in the summer holidays? That's hotter than 30c.

I think schools need to less stupid too though. Making them wear thick clothes and not allowing shorts is stupid. The teachers can wear thinner clothes to keep cool, the kids should be allowed too. Plain white t-shirt and black shorts, how is that not ok?

When it is above a certain temperature maybe they could relax leaving times so parents could pick children up at 12 or 1 if they can and want to. classrooms would have fewer bodies in them generating heat and maybe easier for teachers to get children out to somewhere shaded if they have fewer children to accommodate. I know it wouldn't solve everything but maybe it would help a bit.

@Changingusernameagain Good for your school. I’m sure more will follow. No learning is taking place in schools (primary ones anyway) this close to summer holidays. It’s all time
filling.

@Changingusernameagain What area are you in, do you mind me asking? I wonder what London schools will do. It’s going to be grim.

I can

July always seems like the best summer months so why not shift the holiday? August is usually a wash out! September, beautifull.

We need flexibility!

@PaperTyger where I am in Scotland school broke up last week of June and go back middle of august it’s long enough 😆

I would never take small children to a boiling hot city!
Anywhere that hot abroad would come with pool's/air conditioning....life set for that heat. Slow afternoon.....and shops open later!