Should schools be closed at 35°C?

[DancingThroughLife02]

Not really an AIBU but looking ahead at the forecast for next week and it’s looking like a scorcher.

I work in a secondary school in a science classroom (which seems to get extra hot during practicals) and we have no fans or AC or anything at all to keep the children cool. Open windows don’t seem to help much. The thermostat in the classroom got above 30°C in the afternoon.

The children need to have their water bottles filled at break times and lunch times only and are not allowed to fill them during lessons - which I disagree with as so many come to me saying that they didn’t get a chance to fill theirs up in the 20 minute lunch break.

Last week I had children saying they were dizzy and feeling sick, and they’re made to go outside during breaks. I’m also not sure that anything I taught them during the extra hot days actually stuck in anyway as they all seemed melted onto the desks.

I know there is a legal lower temperature limit for classrooms/workplaces but maybe with the increasing summer temperatures over the last few years we need to start considering investing in ACs as the heat in summer seems to be more prolonged than a couple hot days and in the meantime consider health and safety of the students (and teachers as even I was beginning to feel a bit dizzy).

It's not illegal to have a 20 minute lunch in the workplace. It's not the norm, but it's certainly not illegal!

Nah…..

I’d hate to have some of you as a parents, if it’s too hot for my chikd to be at school and they are struggling I’d rather them be at home. I work in a childcare environment and I have a feeling my own managers won’t matter about this weather and theyll
open and stay open no matter what if it reaches too hot in the afternoons

Thing is our hot weather policy is just no blazers and asking the parents to send them in with extra water. In 35°C + those aren’t enough accommodations to actually keep the children safe. There are still no fans and the lessons are 85 mins which is quite a long time to be sat in a hot room and then go to another hot room directly after.

True.

Yes, but as you will be rapidly finding, the state of the school estate (which needs billions of funding to merely bring it up to a safe standard) isn't a priority for voters, or even parents. As long as schools are open, people stop caring about what happens in them. We saw this on a huge scale during covid. But even outside of covid, there's a huge shortage of teachers but suggest that our pay and conditions improve to tackle this and we're greedy and don't understand the 'real world'.

If teachers took a stand and refused to work in 35+ degree classrooms and sent the kids home, parents would start caring about air con. Until then, very little will happen because out of sight, out of mind.

I’d rather have mine at home too. But I’m running an NHS clinic this week for patients who have been waiting 6 months + to be seen. The colleague I’m running it with also has kids. If we cancel, they’re back to a 6 month wait for another appointment. If the schools close then of course I’ll have to cancel the clinic. If they don’t, then my kids are going in.

Adaptations? In 50C rooms?

Closure is the only sensible option

Are we at
School is for education and it will probably be far too hot for any meaningful learning to take place?
Or
School is childcare regardless of how awful the conditions are and should never close?
🤔

UK refuses to adapt because it's all about 'childcare' while parents work at this stage...

I have readjusted my expectations since we were told money has ran out for glue sticks!

Ah but if we refuse they all say we’re lazy - can’t win.

Academies do.

If there is a war, we are doomed, if this is what are youth is like.

Many schools are the horrendous 1970s monolith let's cram them all in monstosities with no windows opening properly no air flow ,and certainly no air con.

DC cannot learn when they feel sick dizzy and faint and schools are still insisting on crazy stuff rules.

I've told my DD she can struggle in on Monday and if she wants the 35 days off poss even 39 then she can.
She's a good students and I will get her to do something at home to progress herself.

@ToffeeCrabAppleThere is no money in school budgets for insulation and several air con units.

If the school are going to remain open, you need to ensure that the school does a proper heat related risk assessment. Perhaps do one yourself for your classes if they won't etc
If you belong to a Union, perhaps contact them for advice and support as to how you approach this matter, as making a stand could have reprocussions.
They need to make adaptations as necessary to ensure the children's wellbeing. Things like extra breaks and ensuring children have enough water is a really basic change to make.
Countries that are hotter more regularly over the summer months will have a system/rules built to adapt to the weather. Or the school day is different overall to take the temperature into account. Youngsters also adapt better when the temperatures are more consistent if hot.
Here with odd hotter days it is more tricky but they cannot be ignored.
NHS website might have some suggestions as a thought!

@noblegiraffe I agree with you on this ,out of sight out of mind...

Sounds the perfectly opportunity for a science lesson on the science of how to cool a room/building.

You do realise that if there is a war we won't be sending kids off to the front line? Its 2026 not 1939.

Maybe adapt the day a bit if it is too hot but we can't be closing schools - too many working parents rely on their children being at school.

It was pretty hot in the UK for a quite prolonged period in 1976, apart from the odd hosepipe ban it was business as usual. And in 2022 there were some very hot weeks.

I’m just going to say it’s too hot ! Can they even issue a fine for that ? If they do I’ll just go to court !

how is that relevant? Unless it’s a war on Venus? This is about heat not combat

@Oriunda they must have working parents also how can they schools be so flexible ?

Budget for gluesticks? We can't even have paper anymore, it's all wipe clean whiteboards and supply your own whiteboard pens. 🙄😂

Why, are the youth clambering to have schools closed? Or is it the adults? None of my kids have asked for the days off 🤷🏻‍♀️