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.

Well you said everyone so I clearly thought you were talking about everyone. Regardless of that schools aren't just populated by children, teachers sometimes are 100% fit, some are old, people in the canteen/caretakers etc.

40C predicted now. Feel really worried.

Could anyone tell me if these curtains would do the job of helping to keep some of the heat out? My friend told me to just hang black sheets or blankets against the windows but I feel like that’s a bad idea!
Curtains

Yeah sadly, like a lot if things in this country it’s a race to the bottom!

The really sad thing is that some parents, and I don’t mean those who absolutely have to be in work, but rather the stay at home ones. ,couldn’t really give a shit how distressing it is for their children and their children’s teachers/ carers to be in this heat as long as they are not at home!

I honestly think that the extreme minority. My DH and I are working but could have the kids at home. But school are insistent they go in. If they said it was my choice, of course I’d keep them home for a day or two.

Most parents have to work, many in jobs which can’t be done from home. If schools close with little notice it will cause a major problem with working parents then trying to find childcare. It’s nothing to do with caring .

Because everyone else has to go to work regardless.
Last ‘snow day’ with the exception of those that had to stay home to look after children because their school was shut, everyone I work with got into the office. Those who had to look after their children because of the school closures either had to use leave, flexi time or make the hours up. Other parents don’t get paid if they don’t go to work. What happens with teachers and TAs on these days? Do they make the time up? Because the children don’t.
Same with these raised temperatures, everyone will make it into work - and not everyone has aircon.
Children are vulnerable but so are others with certain conditions and the elderly suffer in this heat but their carers will still turn up for them.
Imagine if we all decide, it’s too hot and don’t go to work, chaos.

Bet you wouldn't be so keen if you weren't getting paid

The school are responding well here

Various things in place like cooling rooms, gazebos and water play plus option for parents not to bring dc in at all or until lunch

Set up is good too as one floor in and out open doors and shaded structure that overhangs a fair bit of playground

Acknowledging it will like be a trend over time and will look at more things that can be done

So fed up of teachers thinking they are the only profession that matters. Everyone else has to plod on with work as usual and make the best of it.

Get the fans on, lighter uniform for students and plenty of fluids on hand. I despair of this country sometimes absolutely no resilience.

You are projecting. Teachers are the only profession that teaches children. It si different to other professions for this reason.

It is a bad message to send to kids that you plough on regardless because you are too thick to think things through!

I said everyone in relation to school children. It was pretty clear unless you have comprehension problems. In all the years I’ve lived here I have never seen a news article about teachers or caretakers dying from working in a school during the summer months, so if it’s happened it must be very rare. You seem to want to continue to argue the point, but the fact is many of us live in hot countries and 30 degrees, as stated by the OP, isn’t weather where schools get closed or that children/teachers/office staff/caretakers are usually adversely affected by the heat. I have a child who goes to school and she doesn’t complain, neither do her friends. Everyone takes plenty of water, wears cool clothes, sticks to shady areas at break time and that’s it. In cases of extreme heat, 40 degrees and above, like in parts of Andalusia, schools have closed, same as they do all over Spain when there are very high winds or flooding or any other extreme weather warning, but 30 degrees isn’t extreme heat and at that temperature it wouldn’t be necessary for schools to close anywhere else in the world, apart from in the U.K. apparently.

I think you've misunderstood. It's the children who matter. Young children cannot regulate their body temperature in the same way as an adult. It's about keeping children safe.

And those of us who go to work and have panned child care for the school holidays and suppose to do what exactly??
It’s hot. I’m sure they’ll all cope.

Our school have just emailed to say it’ll be open but we should keep them home if we can.

Our school have just emailed to say it’ll be open but we should keep them home if we can.

No I don't have a comprehension problem but do you have a problem understanding that there are adults in schools as well as children.

We have forecasts of 40 degrees next week not 30 degrees, our schools aren't designed for this sort of heat and if your child isn't complaining about conditions in a Spanish school that isn't really relevant to schools here as they will be completely different and even with schools designed much more for the hot weather I read that schools in Spain have had to close when temperatures reach 40 degrees.

Did you read people on here who have already had children unwell and teachers struggling?

I think that is really sensible, fewer children in the classrooms will help with the temperature.

DS's secondary is shutting in Monday and Tuesday. We're not far from the red warning and the head doesn't want staff and pupils travelling on public transport. They said it was the impact on emergency services and travel.
And as I type DD's secondary is shutting at lunchtime on Monday. The head has pointed out that the classrooms aren't designed for 35° plus heat.

Yes I’m really pleased, we can keep DS off easily and fewer kids will mean they can all just fit under the canopy and in the paddling pool!

You clearly do have comprehension problems because a) you don’t understand that “everyone” referred to the specific group I was talking about, which was schoolchildren and b) you don’t seem to understand that I was replying to the OP who stated temperatures of 30 degrees, not 40 degrees. I have stated two/three times in this thread that in cases of extreme heat there’s obviously a case for schools to be closed. If the OP had been talking about 40 degree temperatures, my response would have been different, but she didn’t, she said 30 degrees. Hopefully repeating this point will make it clear for you, although I’m sure you’ll be back like a dog with a bone. Not much else to say really as you are just being pointlessly argumentative.

Where exactly are we meant to magically produce these fans from?

Resilience doesn’t mean just carrying on as normal, whether that’s sensible or not. It’s adapting to the actual circumstances.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-62177458