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

So much stupidity and wilful ignorance on this thread.

I gave up teaching years ago, but I remember my classroom (30 x 8/9year olds plus 2 adults) was like a sauna in the summer. This was not during a heatwave, was just normal summer temperatures and I remember the classroom itself would be around 40 degrees by the afternoon... its the hot afternoon plus all the body heat and the fact that we had no through draft... it was a new build too, just a very badly designed one.

I dread to think what it's like in that classroom now, during the heatwave... maybe 50 degrees on a red alert day?!

Anyone here saying the schools are overreacting to a red heat warning have clearly never been in a classroom in the summer.

My work have told us to WFH this week. Because they're humane. Let's extend that same humanity to our children.

Also remember, the role of school is to educate, not babysit. Not much learning going on during this heat.

Two of my friends work in warehouses not only do they have fridges, they have a water cooler and aircon.

And the fact you say offices 'possibly' have fridges!!!

Yes. Just like you would if your child couldn't go to school for any other reason. I get that you are inconvenienced by it but they are the professionals in the field and they've made the decision for everyone's safety and wellbeing. If a child got very ill, the school would be in a world of trouble for not safeguarding appropriately.
If you haven't worked in a school with no air con in this heat, your opinion is uninformed.

Extra days to make up at the end of term? Cue MNers complaining that it interferes with their holiday plans, how inconsiderate of the schools! How many weeks to the snow closure moans, either because they've closed or because they haven't.

I was. It was generally fine especially so before 2pm, so we're not closing tomorrow. Anyone keeping their children home from school will be marked as unauthorised and be liable for fines etc depending on their attendance thus far.

Blimey you hate your job don’t you?
Allow residents to have tepid baths and take a fan in from home.
keep curtains closed, drink loads of fluids and pace yourself.
And then look for a job in a nicer care home!

Schools should close if it would be unsafe for the kids (or teachers) to go in and stay there for the day. Just like workplaces should. A lot of schools are not going to be suitable in the places that are hitting 38 - 40. They rarely have sufficient ventilation in classrooms, or sun coverage outside. In quite a few school buildings I've been in, some rooms can be stifling in even moderate sun. And shade in play grounds is rarely adequate for a regular sunny day, let alone a super hot one.

I think it's probably quite difficult, especially with younger age ranges, for teachers to be able to keep kids safe in some of the hotter areas. Kids' tolerances aren't known, teachers aren't experts in spotting dehydration or heatstroke. Trying to keep on top of that for 30 kids is not necessarily within a normal teacher's capacity.

Making school optional is a great way to ensure they are open for parents who need to work while letting parents who can keep their kids at home take some of the pressure off the teachers so they are better able to stay on top of the welfare of the kids that do come in. Being pissed off that your children are putting pressure on you stay home when it's you that wants school to be childcare is bloody mardy. You have the service, step up and be the parent instead of expecting everyone else to be put in a shitty parent so you don't have own that.

So YABU, it's not silly at all in general, though it's possible some schools are over reacting.

I think the argument was that her children were fine in hot weather 30 years ago so we should all be fine now. Which is why I asked if she understood that the earth is warming up over time.
I wasn't trying to help tbf

🤣 you going to wrestle an angry dementia sufferer into a tepid bath are you?!

And what about hospitals?

It's inconvenient for parents but not silly to accept that schools are not set up to deal safely with these temperatures.

I think we should all meet back up on this thread Friday night to discuss the children who died this week from hot classrooms.

i work at a school that is doing early closures rest of the week.

our building is Victorian. Zero ventilation, it retains heat excessively! The higher you go up, the hotter it gets.

30 children in a class with 2 adults, a small class, with fans blowing hot air. Barely any teaching has happened today especially. The kids are exhausted. I couldn’t get up from my desk to stand and teach. The sweat was dripping off of me.

id happily welcome the government pushing funds for air con into our buildings. The planet is getting warmer, and we are just not equipped for it in the UK.

Ours is doing an optional pick up at lunchtime and then opening the wrap around care. I have to work so my child will be one of the few in. Essentially it is a choice now of:

1. unpaid leave as I’ve used up most of my leave for the holidays
2. work and ignore my child at home
3. work and hope my child has more fun with some friends at school even if it’s hot
4. pretend to work and spend time with my child.

If it was just the one day, id probably do 1 or 2. Friday is now looking hotter so I suspect it will be 3 days. I just can’t slack off work for 3 afternoons at the moment. I also feel quite conscious that it is much easier to be a bit hands off in winter. In summer, kids at home want water play and it just isn’t ok to leave a kid in a paddling pool while you’re working.

You can't be serious

I work in an SEN school and so glad we are closing. The students were so upset today with the heat one was sick and one was constantly crying. Any parents who think it’s fair on staff or children to keep schools open in this heat really don’t have their children’s best interest at heart which is quite sad.
Who will you blame if you send your child in and they end up seriously ill with the heat?

Yes it puts pressure on working parents - same as any school closure. But that’s not the fault of the school just the situation. I trust the teachers and SLT to make the right call on my children’s well being and safety. If I didn’t, I really shouldn’t have them at that school.

A lot of teachers are parents, they fully understand what it’s like to be a working parent. And schools want kids to be AT SCHOOL. They really don’t take a decision like this lightly.

There won’t be any because schools
are safeguarding and laying out plans to keep children safe.

Yes, let’s compare the deaths from those with sensible adults in the classroom, monitoring the situation with how many deaths will occur this week from drowning or similar from being off school and left to their own devices in the heat.

I work in a school...

Children are significantly more susceptible to heat stroke and heat exhaustion than adults. They have a higher metabolic rate and sweat less efficiently. IHeat exhaustion can be awful, heat stroke kills.

Schools aren’t the answer to all of societies’ ills.

If the heatwave occurred at the weekend, who would be to blame for drownings?

Fewer kids in school and move the rest into the coolest rooms.

Last time mine had the option not to go and we were able to go to their dad's house which was cool terrace.

This time they have finished school, thankfully. One would insist on wearing a coat all through summer.

Summer holidays in Spain are from early/mid June to mid Sept. Because it's this hot there, most of the summer.

I'm OK with my child being at home. Its tricky for me with work but it's much nicer for him and the staff who can be at home.

My husband's school isn't closing, it's old, no air con and we're in the red zone. He's not impressed. Hes also working right now, after another 10 hour shift at school!

I very much doubt any child was absolutely fine today in school unless they had air conditioning.

Im assuming you aren’t watching weather reports of red alerts?
The Met Office described it as a rare red warning because of the risk to life and major disruption.