To think closing schools or making them "optional" during the heatwave is putting pressure on working parents and is just a bit silly?

[Suchevilforebodings]

This doesn't actually effect me directly as neither of my children's schools have closed.
But some of the schools iny area are either closing or are making school optional IE: it won't be marked as absence.
I mean.... Really? Do kids actually need tome off because it's hot?
And is it fair on working parents to send out an email the day before to say school is closed? This heatwave was forecast last week.
Even making it "optional" puts the pressure on as the kids will want to stay off and many of their friends will be.
I just think it's bullshit tbh

The parent is easy to find on facebook

Another reason im glad im child free Wont be accused of lying

Well if they need A&E they might have a lengthy wait behind any kids who have got ill. They should be careful what they wish for

It shouldn't necessarily be the default to close schools with the types of temperatures we've seen this week, just as it shouldn't necessarily be the only or even best option to limit or shut down public transit or to request that office workers who normally commute instead telecommute. But the inadequate-to-the-current-task infrastructure makes this advisable and sometimes necessary in some areas. The infrastructure needs to be upgraded to handle rising temperatures so that less disruption occurs. And this needs to be broadly coordinated; there's no sense saying "everyone go to work" if transit is unavailable or unreliable or if schools are continuing to routinely close all day. And obviously things like dress codes may need to be relaxed.

I don't mean to do a competitive hardiness thing, but temperatures in the mid or even high 30s - while uncomfortable for most people - are not outliers by global standards. There may be useful examples in how these events are handled elsewhere especially as places already used to relatively higher temperatures have also been dealing with overall rises and spikes (one hint: they typically don't try to run regular school terms in the summer). Temperatures aren't going to go back down, so investing time and money analysing needs and taking action now makes sense.

@lovecotswoldsliving Can you not see the major difference between those GP working hours and the hours a teacher works? Clue: pay.

And this didnt happen either
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/heatwave-schools-weather-uniform-policy-37347831?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=main&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawSrh8hleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETA4Zm1qNGIzeXIxR3JUc0Fjc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHkZVMujgQ3AYT8qvUd9h7A2IJgYCcsMTzMjRS4dm39wCrMhwlSo5ivDGk5vg_aem_53whQMvyJTTll4Hy8EQtPg#Echobox=1782452627

I can say I’ve never heard of Carole Malone, on a cruise 😄

I'd like to hear the schools version. Very often 'recollections vary'. If they expected them to wear blazers in 35 degree heat the they are stupid

What parents say and what actually happened can vary somewhat. It would be surprising if any school would send a child home these days as it's a safeguarding risk.

@EasternStandard Tbf, CM wasn't on a cruise. She was in a studio telling the world that 'we didn't win two WW with a snowflake mind'. It was a celebrity influencer who was on a cruise for work who now had to organise childcare for her daughter in the UK.

Agreed but I did think it happened. A school local to me only relaxed the uniform for blazers and ties and a girl was put in isolation for going in PE kit because my school did (we share a site. I only learned of the news from the local community page). Those schools don't help the majority of caring schools.

Those schools are led by idiots. Ours should have been closed but at least we've gone own clothes (has led to a few dodgy outfits).
But no school should be sending kids home ! It's such a no no these days and they would be OFSTED failed if ever found out.

Finally done after a week from hell (& as hot as). Off to the pub, there is a large cold cider with my name on it.

My classroom was 32 degrees at 10.30am and very unpleasant by 11am. We ended up in the library basically off timetable as they were too hot to learn. Kids that felt ill I shoved in front of the fan. They were all quite listless and grumpy. Most of them went at 1.30 and they shoved the remaining 20 who stayed in a cooler part of a school with all the available fans. I had to dash off at lunch to get my own kids though as their school was closed.

I wouldn't have wanted my kids in school in the afternoon if I could possibly help it. They were far happier at home.

I have no interest in the opinions of the gammons on GB news doing performative whining and that cruise TOWIE idiot.

Oh look, in 1976 schools closed early because of the heat and there were strikes by workers because of intolerable working conditions. Guess they didn't 'just get on with it' then.

Think people view 1976 through very rose tinted specs. I remember stand pipes in the streets and power cuts.

When it gets hot we are not geared up for it, and this needs to change.

In the 70s half the bloody country was on strike for one reason or another. Not necessarily sod all to do with heat

The generation that famously ‘got on with it’? 😮 say it isn’t so!

Well I thought everyone knew about the unions stronghold holding the country to ransom in the 70s TBH

I posted earlier in this thread as my son's school made attendance optional Weds afternoon and all day Thursday. They had about a third of Children in. We are right in the record breaking location so as hot as it got.

Every other school chose to force a closure, no optional.

Thursday around 4pm we got a message saying the school would be closed Friday despite Friday being much cooler forecast. It made no sense to us.

It was revealed that around 2pm Thursday a teacher collapsed incredibly poorly in front of the KS1 class they had made for the day and was blue lighted to hospital. She is still in hospital.

Their school had rooms recording well over 40 degrees. The children did not look okay on Tuesday, let alone what it must have been like Weds or Thurs.

The workers didn't just put up with stuff? 😮

Oh there were multiple pisstakes. Post offices workers and leyland were 2 . Do very little work during the day then do it as " overtime" at double rate etc

Poor teacher and children. Glad she got an ambulance ok.

Unfortunately this happened at several schools last week. Heat stroke can kill. Especially if have a heart condition. Or post menopause. Teachers are also humans and currently feel a bit let down.

I do hope there are questions being raised about why the head felt it okay to remain open as the only local primary school to do so and the red warning. I would be interested in the justification. A teacher has ended up harmed, several children really struggled. It felt a very unnecessary risk. Especially as the kids that were in were pretty much babysat for the day. There was no learning, they watched films and ate ice lollies.

V likely parents. Some will have complained and said they should just carry on as it's just a bit of heat.
We stayed open for that reason. Parents threatened to sue the school. Several of us ended up with heat stroke - nice weight loss this week due to the sweat and vomit. Next heat wave I'm calling in sick