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.

Do you know who have cancelled an event because it's a bit hot while complaining about schools being closed for the same reason?

Us4fuckingthem.

Well I hope that gets coverage.

Brilliant idea, looking forward to reading their comments.

Why black bin bags?

I assume teachers will be having a days pay deducted from their payslip to enjoy their day off in the sunshine ??

What an idiotic comment. If your workplace closed because your employer deemed conditions to be unsafe would you expect to lose pay? Sure you would. Teachers don't have a say in whether schools close or not and if the HT wants to close they have to get agreement from the LA. But don't let facts get in the way of your tedious Teacher bashing.

There needs to be flexibility. Parents who wish may keep their children off school (ime the dc did very little in any event during the last week if the summer term). Parents who have no choice but to go to work send them. At least then the school staff would have fewer dc to deal with in extenuating circumstances.

Regrettably, ime, pragmatism, flexibility and common sense was always in fairly short supply at my dc's state schools.

To counter we’re lucky that there does seem to be those things at the primary

So a choice re go, half a day or not at all, and some ways to deal with it

Everyone seems happy with decision

All week we have had calls from parents insisting we should close on Monday and Tuesday, accusing us of not caring about their children's health and safety. But we know that if we did close we would get calls from parents demanding we stay open and accusing us of not caring if they lose their jobs.

We're not closing and it makes no difference to me personally as I would be in school either way, but I feel very sorry for my colleagues who are pregnant and those who have health issues. We would love to be able to tell them to stay at home but as we have a full cohort of students in that's not possible.

My biggest concern is that we have a shortage of First Aiders, who are all busy doing their actual jobs, and there will inevitably be a significant number of children passing out, vomiting, having bad nosebleeds as this happens even when temperatures are in the high 20's. Some children do not drink enough water no matter how much they are prompted. Many kids will refuse to wear hats, some will insist on wearing hoodies or multiple layers even in extreme heat. We already know our staff will be blamed for these things by some parents.

There needs to be flexibility. Parents who wish may keep their children off school (ime the dc did very little in any event during the last week if the summer term). Parents who have no choice but to go to work send them.

Our LA has told HT's not to do this.

Have they really? That’s honestly hilarious.

To answer your question OP, yes schools should close, and thankfully more and more of them are!

Bustopher they only care about at risk kids between the hours of 9 and 3 and generally only when there's any threat that schools might close. You never see them posting concern about the state of social services, or known at risk kids being left in unsafe homes or children's services failing ofsted inspections. Just on schools threads.

On Monday teenagers will be crowded at unsheltered bus stops or train platforms waiting to get on a potentially stretched public transport system to travel to schools in order to spend the day boiling in unsuitable buildings that may or may not end up with power cuts given that is one of the dangers at red alert level and who may or may not be able to get home depending if there's a crisis with public transport, who may or may not get sick from the heat and place extra pressure on health services because.....?

The likes of some the mn'ers on here hate teachers so much they'd see hundreds of thousands of teenagers punished with unnecessary discomfort and health risks and have health and transport systems put under unnecessary additional pressure and strained energy grids pushed to limits rather than think that those lazy bloody teachers might get a day off?

Or maybe there's another logical reason why we wouldn't alleviate all of that pressure on our roads, public transport systems, emergency health teams, power grids, etc etc by simply allowing secondary schools to close for 2 days in a state of emergency. Love to hear it.

Had vomit and fainters yesterday. And an angry parent accusing me of child abuse because my classroom was so hot. Weirdly I knew that, having spent 6 hours in that sweat box. We are not open on Mon and Tuesday now because it will be dangerous. Secondary, so no child care needed. It's 2 days, apparently it's a national emergency and red alert, so we are listening to the guidelines, and as we have no way of cooling our rooms (they were 38 degrees yesterday) we won't stuff them full of students. Or make them get the tube into school.
I will be working at home, like lots of other people these days.

This thread has been a real eye opener. I don't think I fully appreciated the level of teacher bashing on MN before this. There really does seem to be a general assumption that people working in education are looking for any opportunity to skive, shut schools, send children home, anything for an easy life. That we don't care a fig for children's wellbeing. I wonder if there are any other professions so looked down on and judged. The accusations and casual sweeping statements have been quite shocking.

As I stated way back in this thread, I work with children because I care about them, my job is to support their learning but also to help keep them safe. I'm definitely not in it for the money, nor am I in it for an easy life. I don't spend my days dreaming up ways to get a few extra paid days off because funnily enough I'm too busy getting on with my job.

Teachers, you are amazing. I know from first hand experience that you go above and beyond in your job and only have your students best interests at heart. Wishing you all good luck in this heatwave, whatever measures your school chooses to take.

Oh, also I've never started a thread with so many responses, so there's that I suppose.

Of course they have. You couldn’t make it up.

Please don’t waste the time of children’s services if a child lives in a crowded 6th floor flat with windows that only open a crack. It’s not abuse or neglect to live in a property that’s likely to be hotter than a classroom.

Why do you assume that the crowded flat with windows that open a crack is going to be hotter than a classroom?

And why would you want all children to be forced into a crowded room with windows that only open a crack?

As long as the employers of the parents are happy for them to take the two days off paid then fine!
meanwhile in the real world most employers would treat it as unauthorised absence not to mention the type of work that you deem so unimportant- nurses, doctors, pilots, police all of whom are real people in a group I know and all of whose absence will potentially let down large numbers of people who are in need of their help. But don’t let that get in the way of your “ child care” sneering

Who has deemed that kind of work unimportant?
But the bottom line is that it's not their employers' responsibility to organise back-up childcare for emergencies. And there has actually been a heads up with this current national emergency (so-named by the government and weather forecasters, not by the teaching profession), unlike when a school's boiler breaks or a child is suddenly taken ill.

But the bottom line is that it's not their employers' responsibility to organise back-up childcare for emergencies.

Facing facts however, mass back up childcare supply simply doesn't exist for the majority. Unexpected school closures will of course have an impact on parents ability to do these jobs.

This, it annoys me so much when people say ‘school isn’t childcare’ etc. no it isn’t but it’s where children have always gone 9-3 Mon-Fri term time and it’s what parents spend hours painstakingly fitting their working lives around. No one has a child assuming they need to be able to fund full time nursery costs every month until they’re 18 ‘just in case’ or ensure they have a job they can leave at the drop of the hat. I’m a nurse- if the kids are off school I’ll have to be off work (no family nearby) and take emergency leave. As a family DH earns far more so I’d rather risk my measly salary than his for emergency child care this time. That’s one less nurse able to see the increase in patients at the moment. I won’t be the only one. So no- it isn’t your employers job but if you can’t go in and that has a massive impact it also isn’t your job. And as a nurse even when the ward is 42 degrees and I’m melting under my PPE I can’t just decide it’s too hot and go home sadly.

No one has a child assuming they need to be able to fund full time nursery costs every month until they’re 18

Why would teens need childcare?

How will kids be cooler at home than they are in school?

At home they can sit around in their pants. They can have a cold shower or get a wet flannel to wipe themselves down whether they want. They can take themselves to the coolest part of the house or sit in front of a fan when they need to. And they can have all the doors and windows open.

They won't be stuck in a room with 30 others, shoulder to shoulder with some of them, with no agency to manage their own individual needs as they can at home, and no access to cooler space or water to cool their bodies.

I'm also going to guess that most houses (not all) are not going to get as hot as many schools, which tend to be poorly insulated and have a LOT of glass (and windows that only open by three or four inches due to health and safety.

Is that enough @Tadpoll ?