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.

I grew up in Australia long ago with no air conditioning or fans and we went to school even if it was 40'C. No it wasn't pleasant and you'd come home drenched in sweat and get straight into a cold shower, to energe into a house that was also hot. Occasionally a lesson would be held outdoors under a shady tree, but in the main life just carried on as normal. It wasn't fun at all. Possibly it's different there now.

I do think however that in the UK we are not accustomed to this level of heat and so (understandably) it's very difficult and there needs to be relaxation of uniform rules and more hydration opportunities.

Schools couldn’t afford to run air con. Our electricity bill (big secondary) is increasing by over twenty thousand pounds next year. No way could we add air con on top of that.

Sadly you are probably living under a rock

@CentrifugalBumblePuppy

Do you have a weather thread going?

Hmmm an interesting idea.

Maybe we could even offer to say pay 80% of people"s wages while they're off or half priced restaurant meals all paid for in Government debt that people then get "surprised" when it screws up our children's futures, the economy and cause a massive jump in inflation.

I think they should shut. The comment about schools in other countries. Where I live it gets very hot 30 plus end of June/July.holidays start last week of June to avoid the high temps 2 month summer holidays (we dont have half terms so it evens out) .anyway if it's really hot like 30 plus for a few days the school day is shortened...I think last time they shaved 15 min of every lesson.

Schools in the continent (eg Italy) close in early June

If I were a headteacher I would be gaffer taping old sheets onto sunny classroom windows between now and .Monday to give some shade.

If the temperature outside is hotter than inside then windows need to be kept closed. Sometimes one side of a building is in shade and windows on that side could be opened. Perhaps PTAs could raise money for some fans or parents donate or lend them to schools. Some things can be done, especially with a few days' notice.

How many times. Schools operate in a social structure of dual income families with parents both in the workplace. It’s why ofsted consider if a school offers wraparound provision. Of course it causes issues if parents need to collect out of standard hours. Parents might be teachers, healthcare staff etc. women were massively impacted in covid trying to wfh with small children about.

But I agree schools are not cool and airy places in much of the country and many people don’t realise how dilapidated many school buildings have become.

Doing anything in hot rooms is nasty and not very productive.

I had the joy of growing up in Australia in the 70's/ 80s - our school was not designed for heat. We used to get sent home if it was over 42C - which to be fair was not that often during term time.

To manage the heat without air con...

Put blinds up over all the windows facing into the sun
Open the windows on the sunny side a crack and put wet towels across the openings - you want air flow so don't jam them in just hang them across the opening.
Open as wide as you can all the windows and doors on the shady side of the building - this will help draw the air through the wet cloths on the sunny side.

If you have fans running put them in the coolest part of the room so that cool air is spread.... even better drape a wet cloth across the back of the fan. Do not put them in the sun - you just blast the kids with hot air.

If the kids (or you) start overheating put cold cloths on your forearms where the veins are closest to the surface of your skin.

Drink more water than you think you want. By the time you start feeling thirsty it is too late. Our teachers used to have buzzers to get us all to drink at regular intervals. Expect kids to need the loo more often...this is a good sign. Start to worry about the kids who don't go to the loo.

We had classes outside where possible - there were 2 classrooms that were really bad so those classes had first dibs on the best shady parts by the river (it was a very hippy school)

Hats and sun cream had to be put on before we were allowed outside - I suspect this was easier in Australia where all kids knew about the danger of the sun before they got to school.

Italian student's finished in June? 11th I think to avoid summer temps
.

Good post Greensleeves. !

I'm keeping dd off next Monday but I'm concerned it's the day when they see the new class a s meet their new teacher.

But because school is so incredibly immovable and ridged re uniform and being flexible I can't trust them with her.

@dragonflyglaze

@HopeIsNotAStrategy

Unless electrics are pat tested they can't just be brought in unfortunately.

Re gaffer tape ,good ideas to put sheet's up but don't you think gaffer tape will melt?
They probably can't knock small nails in ( which is what we are doing) because of aspestoes).

Shorts and t-shirts for Primary children and PE kit for Secondary age seems like one sensible solution.

I think it should be optional to send them in when it’s very hot, like Monday is expected to be the hottest on record.

Our schools are not built for extreme heat, schools don’t have the budget for fans in classrooms.

you cannot compare heat abroad with uk heat as it’s been explained that it feels worse here because the humidity is much higher in the uk than abroad so our bodies are less effective at sweating the heat out than abroad, therefor less effective at cooling us down.

aslo as others have said, many places abroad start school early to avoid the worst of the heat and finish by lunch.

It’s disingenuous to say that ‘school is not childcare’ and that working parents would have to just sort it out. Our society works together, and if schools shut, your granny’s hospital appointment will be cancelled because the medics are at home looking after their kids. Happy now?

I went to school in the tropics. Certainly, we did not shut down but we had:

• nice cool wooden buildings with slats rather than windows (so basically open to the outside)
• giant ceiling fans
• large shady trees
• a sensible cotton uniform and sandals
• large classrooms - lots of space
• a school day of 7 am - 12 noon

I presume you are working in a State school @dragonflyglaze , most of the Indy schools round here broke up last week and always tend to have a longer Summer holiday.

@makingmiracles and if teachers decide not to send their DC’s to school on the hottest days, and stay at home with them, who is going to be at school teaching those children whose parents can’t take the day off work when it’s hot?

Perhaps the school day during summer months (it would really only be the last seven/eight weeks of the summer term?) needs to be changed to earlier start and finish times?

I would say usually late June and July are traditionally the hottest months of the year, so why don't we shift the summer holidays forward to be in line with most of the rest of the world?

Now that hotter summers are more of a regular thing, all future built schools need to be designed to make for classrooms that are less hot and stuffy with more thru-flow of circulating air.

No, but schools need sensible adjustments for heat.

Get rid of ties and blazers, seriously (can't believe this needs spelling out to some headteachers).

What time does the temperature start cooling down in the UK (I'm living overseas)? If late afternoons and evenings are cooler, it might be a good idea to switch schedules around a bit--cancel outdoor time during schooltime and have kids use that time to get their homework done indoors, and then urge parents to get the kids out of doors during the later part of day when it's pleasanter to be outdoors. "Homework clubs" during afterschool hours, similarly, could focus on outdoor time during that time, if homework is done during the school day instead.

So many horrible comments on this thread. Yes it's 'only' 30 degrees but the humidity in this country with it means that when we sweat it's very hard for it to go anywhere thanks to said humidity. Hence why 30 over here feels like 50.

Honestly. You guys need to take a long hard look at yourselves and realise that this weather pattern isnt normal! It's not just 'summer'!

There’s so much wilful ignorance on this thread from people who treat schools like state sponsored childcare and who bemoan the summer holidays as it is

it wouldn’t matter if it was 39, 40 degrees, and children fainting. Or rising COVID-19 cases (god forbid we speak of the inconvenience of that). Nope, these folk will not have their childcare taken away at any expense.

any discomfort experienced by children (and their poor teachers) can be tolerated, because.. you know.. binmen, NHS.

we might as well end the thread here because this side of the argument never compromises.

Is this a joke?

Are people seriously this precious?

30 degrees is not extreme heat. Neither is 35.

Bring them home and do what with them exactly? Be hot in your house without air con? I despair for the hardiness of future children.

My kids were in school all day and then played tennis outside in the direct heat for 2 hours. Absolutely fine.

And are not designed to keep the heat in.

Our schools are designed to operate in rain and snow.

OP

Little known fact. There is no max temperature for people, but there can be for equipment, so you might be able to switch of computers and white boards that just make things worse.

When I started school we used to have a rest after dinner, you had to put yuor head on the desk and close your eyes - are you allowed to do that? Just to give you and the kids a break?