to think that many folk in the UK don't understand how dangerous extreme heat is?

[FunnysInLaJardin]

Seriously, telling a teacher to suck it up in a classroom with no aircon and 30 kids at 40 degrees.

I have many times experienced this kind of heat and you have to keep cool, otherwise it is truly dangerous

I agree. I wasn't growing up in the UK, but I do remember going to school in 30 degrees. It was hot, yes, but teachers kept classroom doors open, we were allowed to spend lots of time indoors (playing sports or in the shade), windows were open, we were allowed to wear shorts etc. We survived.

*outdoors

Given that there are arguments about whether 50 degrees has ever been reached on planet earth, yes that would be extreme.

When I was a kid growing up in Adelaide in South Aust, if the temp got above 36 degrees we didn't have to go to school. I remember watching the weather report and hoping for a hot day off
I've only been to UK half a dozen times but one time it was the hottest day on record and I felt a lot hotter than when at home.
The houses are set up for the cold weather so I was really hot.
In saying that I was much warmer in winter in the UK than home because of that.
Good luck everyone. It'll pass, lots of fluids.

"However if 21Cis that many degrees above freezing, then 41C is almost the same again". It's a big increase @CecilyP but in absolute terms - if you measure from absolute zero, rather than 0 degrees Celsius which is just the freezing point of water - it's nowhere near doubling. Convert the temperatures into the Kelvin scale which measures from absolute zero and you're going from roughly 294K to roughly 314K. But whether it's doubled or not it's bloody hot.

to think that many folk in the UK don't understand how dangerous extreme heat is
OFSTED certainly don’t. Inspection tomorrow and Wednesday. Doesn’t say much about OFSTED’s consideration of staff health and well-being ( OFSTED’s own staff or those in schools).
Awful decision.

@PercyLane dear god no. Please make sure you put the inspectors in the hottest rooms 🤬

OFSTED certainly don’t. Inspection tomorrow and Wednesday.

Fuck me, they really are an idiotic institution… as a parent I just think how the hell can they get an accurate view of a school by going in on a day that is the epitome of a complete anomaly of the year? Prospective parents aren’t going to get much out of reading that report for sure. Not helpful to anyone. As a pp said, make sure you put them in the stuffiest room you have.

I think schools will be horribly hot and I feel sorry for teachers , and support staff and children. However I think its a myth that all other work places are cooler (although they admittedly won't have tired, overheated children )
One poster mentioned hospital's having aircon. Both my parents had hospital stays in the summer and I don't remember there being aircon. I spent the afternoon in minor injuries on a boiling hot day last year, and it definitely didn't have air con....
And restaurants. The dining area might have air con but I imagine a kitchen is pretty roasting with or without air con. Add to this all the people that have outdoor jobs.
I think is fair enough to be concerned about the safety of children and highlighting that schools are generally extremely hot, potentially they should close....but its unlikely that nearly everyone else is working in much cooler conditions.

Absolutely! My mother is from Sydney now lives in London, she's amazed schools are staying open in this heat as like you say they wouldn't in Oz. We very much not equipped for it!

i don’t think so many supermarket workers have young children that they’ll have to close if schools close.

I know it’s not hot everywhere; I’m not personally affected. However, I can take an interest in places that are experiencing excessive heat, especially as DS lives in one of them.

Absolutely! My mother is from Sydney now lives in London, she's amazed schools are staying open in this heat as like you say they wouldn't in Oz. We very much not equipped for it!

It was more when the schools in Australia didn't have air-con. As it is more common now - along with a raft of cooling strategies for students and staff - individual states and schools don't actually don't have a magic number set where they will close. This means the mercury can hit quite high - I can remember a 44c day when my DC were in primary school - before a school might consider other mitigation strategies.

CecilyP - you could check your facts about the heatwave of 1976 before posting, as well as trying to get an understanding of measuring weather temperatures.

The hottest weather in the summer of 1976 was between 23rd June and 7th July. 15 days of temperatures over 32 or something. Schools did not close.

Yes, temperatures today and tomorrow will be quite a bit higher in some parts of the country. But it's only two days you see? 15 days is a different kettle of fish and when you look at it in the context of 3 months without rain (or whatever it was) you'll understand why people had no running water in their houses and had to go and collect it with buckets from stand pipes in the street.

Yes it's not nice at the moment, and a danger to some. But 1976 was not a walk in the park in comparison.

i remember in 1976 we were on holiday in Gt Yarmouth and had to drink AND clean our teeth with R White’s lemonade as the water in the chalet was coming out so chlorinated. Bottled water? In 1976?

@Dishh yes now schools in Oz are more equipped for the heat. Schools here really are not.

I kept my daughter off as we were given the option and I was able to. Our neighbours dd went in and her classroom recorded a temp of 43!

I’ve been out at lunch time to get some shopping. Unsurprisingly it’s quite warm, but completely manageable.

I have two toddlers and they are not leaving the house today or tomorrow, there’s just no way I’d risk it. I’ve only popped out to hang washing out and it’s absolutely roasting, far too overpowering for small children. My NDN, on the other hand, had a play date today and their two three year old’s were running around in the garden. It made me cringe.

I have no doubt admissions to hospital for heatstroke and the like will skyrocket today and tomorrow, in red zones.
I'm from a hot country, summer is at least as hot, or hotter than, this for much longer stretches. It is much more adapted to the heat in terms of infrastructure and lifestyle, but people still don't push it as much.
But you'll get people who had a leisurely, relaxing holiday in 40+ heat which means it's nothing and they'll cope... So they'll inevitably go about their daily business and probably become quite unwell.

I guess everyone has different tolerance, I'm
In London and although hot AF, I actually don't mind it, nowhere near as stifling as I was expecting. Kids fine in it (for short periods and protected too) I think staying home the whole time is a bit OTT. A nice walk early on or later so not cooped up all day is on seems more appropriate than batten down the hatches

If you can get a tower fan and a cold wet flannel, all is well.

I’m quite enjoying it.

(Not sensing the tone)