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).

Congratulations you know how to use chat gpt. And yes ive worked through all those hot days as a groom outside often with no day off, I survived, surely kids and teachers can

The school are unreasonable for not allowing the kids to access water as and when they need it.

It probably wasn't 40C-with-high-humidity kind of hot though, was it.

Not only was it not 40C, you were outside!! Not locked in a greenhouse with no air-conditioning and windows that open an inch!!!

That doesn't answer my question. The part where you explain how your experiences should have any bearing on anything is missing.

" i have to do it so why cant you"

“I survived”

I do wonder if there is a correlation and link between children being made to sit in suffocating classrooms and teenagers being so desperate to cool off they are jumping into open water

I fainted one day in the 70s when I was about 10 and had spent the morning sitting at my desk with my back to the direct sun coming in through the full wall of east facing windows.

Just seen some kids at school on the news. Their feet in cold water in trays Get some air con FFS

Was 43 degrees in my lab today. 2 kids fainted, I felt v sick by 3pm. But we go again tomorrow. Will be even hotter. I may refuse to work ! Oh and CLEAPS means we can't have drinking water in labs.

There was no mention of what age it was illegal for but yes considering we’re talking about children I should of realised you meant it’s illegal for 16-18 year olds and not everyone

Where’s the “can do” attitude? Surely there is tree that can accommodate the whole school? Magic up blinds that fit. Paint the walls white. Get some umbrellas! All suggestions made on this thread … but my favourites are “deal with it”. For a parenting site it shocks me that posters are happy for pupils to suffer.

Why should they just survive ? Do we not want better than sending them to school in inappropriate clothing with facilities at school not geared up to extreme weather conditions. They would be better at home - I imagine many parents will make that sensible decision anyway

Can you try finding a cooler classroom you can room change to now Y11 and 13 are gone? No one should be in a 43 degree classroom!

The kids’ brains basically stopped working by about midday today, even kids who wanted to do maths were just unable to think properly. And that was about 30 degrees.

😂 there's 2,000 kids in the school so it's going to have to be some tree. Actually we don't have trees as our sports pitches are on the concrete roof 🥵

Unfortunately this was one of the cooler labs. Some idiot put cladding on our buildings to hold all the lovely heat in, we are on the 2nd floor and windows open an inch. Did try and find an empty classroom with a door at lunch but all occupied. Might need to claim squatters rights in one at 7am tomorrow.

But I've banned bunsens for the rest of the week !

Probably. They must get out of school and run to the nearest body of cold water because they're desperate to cool off. And thereby expose themselves to cold-water shock, which is really serious and drowns people.

In Germany, schools close if the temperature reaches 35 degrees.

All the people who say, "I did it and I survived" etc just sound bitter. 🙄
Just because you suffered through something due to ignorance, prevailing attitudes and beliefs, lack of information or education and lack of care does not mean others should. Do we not want better for our kids, the next generations?
There also seems to be an utter and willful lack of understanding that intense heat can be very dangerous even for a short period.

I'm not a teacher and I work in an un air-conditioned office. They've told us all to WFH this week

Here in north London, there’s a 72% chance of rain this evening. And I’m out umpiring netball!

I bet some of the sun-haters are green with envy! The sun gods have decided to punish us for the moaning from Moansnet! 😝😝

What a bizarre pov. 🤔

If it rains I'm going outside to dance in it. Still too hot (post menopause woman who has have internal central heating already !). Think I'm a bit over heated so off to destroy the environment by sitting in my car with air con running full blast.