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.

It’s due to be 35 where I am next week and we’ve been told we can’t take the kids outside in the sun which is fair enough but my classroom is an absolute sauna and is regularly over 30 degrees in summer (when it’s like 27 outside), so I’m not really sure how were expected to manage that.

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

And the thing is, I can deal with it because I’m an adult. It’s not about the teachers as much as it is about the children.

As a TA within a SEN school it's just becoming near impossible to do anything. We can't open windows or doors, we have to keep routine for them so no big changes. But spent yesterday dealing with half of the 8 we have in class just screaming. One hadnt slept well due to the heat and fell asleep in the middle of the classroom.
Dreading the next week

Yes I completely agree with you OP. infact I won't be sending my child in with a heat warning.

Ds secondary school have moved to pe kits instead of uniform (or in Ds case no blazer as he refuses to not wear uniform!)

Lots of schools in Australia do not have air conditioning though.

But countries where hot weather is more frequent tend to have accommodations in place, so quieter activities, fans, read in the shade of trees etc.

Covid was so hard on families in big cities with high temperatures where swimming pools were closed. Ugh. Imagine living in an apartment block and having to stay in all day even in high heat.

A school here did close yesterday. It is a brand new build. Opened in last September. Mostly huge glass windows which don’t open and the air con doesn’t reach all parts of the building.

There was outrage here because whilst it did hit 32 degrees the school is new. So surely someone when building would have thought about the hotter days. We are supposedly the sunniest part of the British isles so….

Caused issues though because people had to take time out of work to pick up kids. School closed at 11.

Send your DC’s to school in shorts and a T-shirt, a hat and plenty of water. Keep the classroom windows closed with blinds or cover with art work to keep the sun out.
ridiculous to close schools - if they do,businesses will also have to close/reduce services as their staff will have to be at home with their own children.

I also work in a primary school in the south and it's unbearable!
We have windows on both sides of the class that barely open and not even a fan, let alone air conditioning!
The children are tired, hot and bothered and so are the staff.
We also have a school trip planned for Tuesday when it's predicted to be mid 30's. I'm dreading it.

Would you like to still be paid for not doing your job or when will the lost day/s be made up?

You can't open the windows in many classrooms! Welded shut with paint, built not to open more than a crack, broken locks... there are lots of reasons why but they all cost money to fix. There are no ceiling fans and no money for them. Yes they would make a difference but unless it's funded it's pie in the sky. Floor fans cost money so there is no chance of more of those.
Give heads the power to shift opening hours to early morning. It's not childcare and parents should be more than capable of getting them there on time and collecting.
Move the summer holidays start to early July like in Scotland.

parker part of the problem is that secondary schools don't allow shorts. So the kids are roasting. Adults can wear smart shorts to work and / or have air con. Teens don't have the choice. Mine will be going in but there'll be an email to school asking about moving to PE kit.

Closing at short notice should be a last resort. Not all employers are sympathetic to childcare arrangements and there are those who are expecting their team in an office when working from home is practical.

Start with different or no uniform. The PE kit that one school is suggesting seems a sensible approach.

I think, given the regularity of these temperatures is summer now, we need to start adapting spaces so that people can be more comfortable in them and think about how public buildings can take measures to reflect heat and create more shaded spaces. There are a wealth of strategies from warmer countries that we seem to stubbornly ignore but this isn't a situation that's going to improve, is it?

Plus we could just get our head out of the sand and make some really simple changes. We could decide that it is unnecessary to hold sports day in July for hours after lunch in the peak of the sun on shadeless fields and do something crazy and have it in May?

I don’t know about closing completely, but they clearly can’t carry on as normal in that heat. My son’s school have relaxed their already quite relaxed uniform rules to try and help everyone stay cooler. I think that’s a good start as even some primary school uniforms aren’t the best to stay cool in.

Growing up in Germany, I remember ‘hitzefrei’ - lessons were shortened and we were done by lunchtime. We never used to get snow days though; school would run as normal.

I guess every country has a system linked to common weather occurrences.

Our schools only concession so far has been to allow the children not to wear ties!! Surely it would be fine for them to just wear their PE kit for the last few days of term ?!

You have my sympathy. I work in a school on the continent. It was hell in the last few weeks where the temperatures were hovering around 38. No a/c and not enough fans to go round. My dd had to do her final exams in a (new) classroom fronted entirely by glass.
The only brilliant thing is we break up at the beginning of July.

Contact the school and Governors to tell them you will be sending your DC’s to school but they will be wearing weather appropriate clothes - ie shorts and T-shirt. You’re the parent - it’s your decision.
Thank goodness my DC’s went to a sensible school with no school uniform.

What makes you so sure kids would be better off at home?

I agree lessons and locations may need to be adapted.

Feel sorry for everyone at school I’m in south east and it’s meant to be 36 on Tuesday

Schools should get air on, heat waves are happening more often.

I want my dc in school, dd2 has SEN’s and having her home means I need to care for her 24/7, means I can’t work, I know schools not a child care service but if they shut many would have to take time off, many can’t take time off.

I live in Spain, schools here finish much earlier to avoid heat plus the local ones do have aircon plus special shades area. People actually living here adapt to the heat.
This is our 4th year here and the heat doesn't affect us as much as year 1. Also if we had a heat alert on I'm sure schools can be closed.
Our houses and schools are also built to keep cooler in summer here.
Heat like the uk is experiencing is a health issue.

Absolutely not.

this country loves nothing more than a moan about snow, rain, wind, heat. Any excuse to grind to a halt.

get on with it.