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).

What are you doing to ‘fix the bullshit’?

This ^. Schools are places of learning and teachers are not childminders.

What I am referring to isn't 'We'd love to see schools fitted with air con but that's not going to happen' it's 'WE PUT UP WITH WORSE DURING THE WAR SO YOU SHOULD JUST GET ON WITH IT' type of thing. Like survival is the only expectation that should be met and anything above that is unreasonable.

People keep going on about 'the summer of '76. The very highest temp in the 'summer of '76' was 35 degrees recorded in just a couple of places. The average was 30/32 degrees across England

It's going to be 38/39 degrees on Wed and Thurs in many parts. Not 30/32. There's a huge difference in 6/8 degrees of heat.

And in theory I absolutely agree. This would of course involve everyone in the country accepting vastly reduced services in all areas during a heatwave (healthcare, power supply, food supply etc).

France is very sensible.

Nooo! Bacteria city! They’re deffo not run off the mains!! 🦠

Why shouldn't secondaries close given that there's no childcare requirement?

@noblegiraffe I agree as well on the fixing stuff.
There is a gernal malaise in our society I've seen it at work a problem with getting stuff sorted then the people with the will to do it are stuck in cycles of authority and can't but the people who have the power can't do it.
Utterly ridldicous

You cannot compare like for like though.

The highest temp recorded in the 1976 heatwave was just shy of 36 but that was one day and the highest it got over 15 consecutive days was 32. The UK heatwave record now stands at over 40 and the Met Office is saying we could have consecutive days of 40 this week under the heat dome.

Plus our infrastructure is denser than it was in '76 and the population has grown by 13 million, so we're more tightly packed in, especially in urban areas.

It's hotter and sweatier now in every sense!

We need to look at why France can cope but we can't ?
We seem to be so rigid and lack originaltiy

France has closed schools in the heat.

Schools need to have the flexibility to do what they can to reduce the temperatures in their buildings in heatwaves but without investment, the options open to them are pretty much limited to relaxing uniform rules.

My previous school was a postwar, single story building. When it was sweltering a couple of summers ago I was able to cover the windows from the outside using sugar paper so the room didn't heat up quite so much as without. I brought in a fan from home each day but even then, it was so hot my classroom thermometer ran out of numbers!

Gold star for you.

@DancingThroughLife02 yea so how do they cope with the same issues eg medical health workers ?

@ExtraOnions au contraire.
My dp had lived in Oz for many years and came back and still spoke of the famous 76 heatwave .
As an ordeal and all the things that happened !

https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2025/06/hot-weather-and-heatwaves-guidance-for-schools-and-other-education-settings/

But so far this year we’ve had 40 consecutive days of a rain and low temperatures in spring.

We ‘ve literally only had one hot week which was half term but temperatures dropped the week after and last week was just ok.
Next week might be boiling but unless it carries on for a while it’s no even close to 76.

And in 76 there wasn’t the plastic bottles of water and drinks that we have everywhere, ice cream was still a block and wafers in the supermarkets and no air con anywhere.

Why are you quoting something I've not said at me?

The local schools here have the windows open during the night, to be closed at 8am. Can you stick foil on the windows?

Righto

If that is what you're saying, it must all be true 🙄

Hot weather in the 70s and 80s did not exceed 35 degrees C - ever.

A ‘side effect’ of school is childcare. So if I have to take two days off to look after my kids, I have to cancel two days’ of clinics for patients (no ac there either) and they will be waiting another six months. That just cannot happen.

Fitting ac everywhere is going to be impossible financially for schools and the government won’t pay. We need pragmatic solutions asap.

I would cancel sports days.
Allow kids to wear t shirts and shorts if they want.
Try and see if the school could buy cheap water misters for every class and not let the kids leave the classroom without returning them after every lesson.
The government should be pressurised to at least pay for proper blackout blinds and fans for schools.
A longer term strategy is then needed.

You do realise don’t you that in those conditions the room would likely be well over 40°
if the room faced the sun it would easily reach 50°

I think you are being ridiculous.

not only would teachers struggle to be in 45-50° heat for HOURS but no real learning would take place.
and those temperatures are not safe

The countries you speak of have buildings that are built taking those temperatures into account

added to which humans have an incredible ability to adapt to their climate. The point is, we are not used to this climate And our climate changes dramatically throughout the year

The countries are you’re speaking about don’t swing dramatically cold so their bodies have a different set point

In this country, depend depending on the direction the room phases and that room will be 45 to 50°

The students won’t learn anything in my teacher should be in that temperature for hours a day

It’s not safe

I’ve just had a thought - I wonder how we’re going to feed them. I doubt it’ll be safe to have industrial ovens on Tues - Thurs when it’s due to be 40 degrees. It’ll have to be cold sandwiches only I guess.