Are your children going to school today?

[Hotday]

It’s going to be 32 degrees where we are today, for the fourth day running.

If you’re in a heatwave area are your dc going to school? Is it closed? Our school are encouraging children to go in but giving the option to finish early.

Yabu - children are staying home
Yqnbu - children are going to school

School closed Wednesday- Friday, central England

I wouldn’t go into an office without a/c in this weather, I’m luckily able to keep them off so will. Our school has been crap. Literally the only thing they’ve done is allow pe kit …. No fans no water no breaks - private school so no excuse. Pretty sure the headmaster will have a fan in his book lined study though. Wankers.

Where about in the country are you that 32 is a common temp?

Mine have stayed home. 35 here yesterday and 34 tomorrow. We have aircon and ice cream at home. I’m also heavily pregnant so didn’t see the point in getting them at 1pm. They are better off at gome

My youngest isn't going in and it feels wrong but to late for worrying about it.

We are in the red zone but also DH is a TA at the school and there was a handful of pupils in yesterday so they aren't missing any education.

I'm big on attendance as my parents were very poor with mine so I had big gaps in my education.

school today but we are in London and it has been boiling and it’s an old school with only two rooms with air con, so we have been picking up at 1

Omg that is too funny. In Australia schools only talk of closing when it gets above 40. My kids have air con at school now but when they were in primary they didn’t. If we shut schools every time the temp went above 30 they would be closed for months.

I didnt mean common as in an every day occurrence but it happens most summers and I’ve never had a school close before. As I say maybe it’s the amount of days that’s caused an issue and places aren’t cooling down? But it’s only 32C here, it was in the teens over night, and we hit 30 every summer, I can’t help but feel my locality is getting a bit caught up in all the drama because of the areas going above 35, which we’re not.

Ours has been shut since yesterday. Its over 36 degrees here and we are in a red area. The nursery my DD1 works at is open until 12 but yesterday they had to send all the babies home at 10 as it was 33 degrees in their room so I imagine they'll be sent home about the same time today.
Red warning in place until tomorrow evening but I haven't heard if the school are open tomorrow or not.

Not going.

Our school has remained open but closing early at 1pm. They have also allowed the option of an authorised absence for yesterday and/or today, which we are taking advantage of.

DD went yesterday when we hit a high of 33°C, and it was awful. Today is expected to be even hotter at 34°C. It's already 23°C, when it was 20°C at the same time yesterday, so I'm already feeling justified.

Annoyingly I still have a meeting to attend at the school with DS who is starting Reception this September. But at least that's only 30 minutes tops (+10 minute walk each way). DD will remain at home with working from home DH.

My school is in the 37 zone so we have closed ish. Work is set via teams, students can come in and work at school (in the 4 rooms with AC). Boarders are still in and staff who live on site have a cover rota.

Edited to add: we are in a red zone and classrooms are consistently over 40 degrees with all possible precautions/fans/blinds taken.

One went and will be picked up at lunchtime. I’m told there were only 25 children who weren’t picked up (it was optional). So that meant those kids whose parents were unavoidably not able to pick them up could go to the one room in the school that has airconditioning.

The other has been really struggling (SEN). Headteacher wisely said it was entirely out our discretion whether he would cope or not. So he has done a couple of mornings but didn’t go in today.

I feel for the teachers in schools where the headteacher (or sometimes the academy chain/LA) hasn’t shown any common sense.

Realistically no learning is happening this week unless you are in an air conditioned space.

In this morning, home at 12.30. But it was still 29 degrees at 10 pm last night, and was in the high twenties when I dropped them off at 8.30. We’ll chill indoors in the cool for a couple of hours, then head out late afternoon. We had the same yesterday.

Smallest kids are doing water play all week, and those that have to stay in the afternoons are shifted to the coolest of the rooms for a movie. School have been great in recognising that some parents just can’t collect at short notice like that.

They’re doing their best, so are we.

@AnotherdayofrainIm not talking fitting air conditioning, im talking sunshades and a few umbrellas for the picnic tables in our case.

Its okay for a few days asking parents to leave work to have kids at home, but imagine next year its like this for the whole of June/July. Im sure parents will be getting a bit pissed off.

DD (8) is going, her school has an outdoor pool, they will be in it half the day. DS (3) is staying home, the preschoolers can't go in the pool and the preschool building is a prefab portakabin style thing and it's horrendously hot in there.

Only 22c today in the north east, yet I can see and hear that kids are off. They're already playing out.

My son at a SEN school has gone in today and yesterday but on morning-only hours. He gets really upset if school is expected and then doesn't happen! School are brilliant at keeping his routine going.

BUT ... his Head (who is amazing) posted that school will remain open (Special Schools have students who are, by default, seen as 'vulnerable') throughout the heat and said we could choose to keep entirely at home, entirely at school, or pick up halfway through the day. That was on Tuesday. Last night he posted that some students were really struggling with regulation in the heat and refusing drinks etc. (It's a school for kids with ASD+LDs, many of them can't understand why they feel rubbish and won't co-operate with ways to make them feel better.) And that we should really consider if school was the best place for them right now. DS has gone back in this morning but I'm feeling a bit of remorse, mostly for the poor staff. Working with our kids is not a picnic most of the time! All I can think is, it's like an oven at home. We can't have patio doors open during the cooler hours of the morning because DS is a massive escape risk. So I think a few hot but interesting hours at school, followed by a couple of hours in an air conditioned cafe, will be best.

I do, of course, have privilege in this - I'm not working (not all the time anyway, partially because of DS's needs) so I can take him back and forth and be at home with him.

We're in the Red Warning zone here, temps likely to hit 35 but feel like 41 this afternoon

School's open but mine is not going in.

Yes but its a special school so hes gone in; In shorts and t shirts
The school are doing lots of water play and hsve ordered lots of ice pops for everyone and are keeping the kids hydrated

Yeah but your used ti high temps
Britain isnt set up.for extreme weather.

I would love to send him, the heat has been hell for DS. I’m keeping him off today.

One school is shut and one is open which is faintly maddening. The younger one is much better off at school, they have fans and A/C units, they're in PE kit and sandals and have masses of water breaks. I am now stuck WFH in my over 30 degree house with his hot grumpy brother instead of in the office air con which I could have done without!

Yes all external exams finished last week. Lots of year 10 mocks this week - at mine’s school they have moved afternoon ones to morning and are letting them go straight home after (rest of school closing at 12)

Yes they went in, I haven't considered keeping the dcs off school and I don't think I would unless the school actually closed. I don't work but I take their education seriously and they only miss school when very ill.
We're in London where it's been very hot although today feels cooler than yesterday and the forecast today is just 32 degrees which isn't as bad as we were expecting (it was predicting 39 earlier in the week).

Children’s schools both closed. Glad they are as well hearing about so many kids suffering yesterday.