How common is air conditioning in private school classrooms?

[ParentOfOne]

How common is it to have air conditioning in private schools?

I don't mean just the principal office or the staff room, I mean the classrooms where pupils are.

We are a state school family, but I have heard lots of colleagues complaining that their expensive private schools don't have aircon, so I was wondering how common that is.

Also, how common is it to have private schools built llike greenshouses? In the state sector, quite a lot, because I think that for a while guidelines prioritised heat retention and sun exposure, without taking into account that the weather is not that of 200 years ago any more.

if folks think that private school kids are all lounging around in aircon, they’d be wrong. I found it was the reverse actually.

Do you think this is because too many private schools are actually on tighter budgets than people think? Or because they have spent on other things?

People have such strong opinions on private schools that common sense often goes out of the window.

Haters say that private schools have hiked fees too much over the years, spending on new sports facilities and other unnecessary stuff (instead of eg spending on aircon)

Defenders say that too many private schools are actually operating on tight budgets.

I have no idea! I am a state school parent, but, if I were spending £25 to 30k per year per child to send them to classrooms which heat up like greenhouses, I wouldn't be happy. (I get it that tuition can be cheaper elsewhere, but this is a common range in London)

South East private prep. Aircon in about 80% of the classrooms and they’ve jigged things around to keep children in those classrooms.

Budgets are quite tight. Worse thanks to Philipson.

My friend works in a top private school in the South East. Very few of the classrooms have air-conditioning.

It varied. The old building was listed and so no AC. The science block had better heating but no AC, but the sports hall, and all the classrooms in that block had AC.

As for budgets, the drama and music rooms are in 1950s mobile class rooms. Draw your own conclusion about money.

*Haters say that private schools have hiked fees too much over the years, spending on new sports facilities and other unnecessary stuff (instead of eg spending on aircon)

Defenders say that too many private schools are actually operating on tight budgets.*

Can’t it be both? Most private schools have been affected by VAT and don’t have limitless funds. But equally when we viewed schools we asked about their facilities, their teaching, their extra curricula activities and made our decision primarily based on these and the academic results. These are all great marketing devices. Never once did we (or any other family I know) ask about the air conditioning because I’d rather have facilities they can use throughout the year rather than a few days each summer.

@karmakameleon Never once did we (or any other family I know) ask about the air conditioning because I’d rather have facilities they can use throughout the year rather than a few days each summer.

Except it's not only a few days each summer - it's becoming increasingly frequent. Also, some buildings have been so poorly built that it's not about how many days at 30C you get, but how often it is 25C outside and 33C inside.

I may be a minority here, but for me ensuring that kids can learn comfortably and productively throughout the academic year, especially when they are taking their GCSE and A levels, is more important than a newly refurbished pool.

I get it that some people can put up with the heat better than others, but I would seriously struggle if I had to study and take exams in rooms with 30C and more

DD's Yr 2 classrooms have portable aircon units, but they are up in the eaves and it is sweltering at the slightest heat. Younger years have nothing but blinds, fans and tbf plenty of outdoor space with shade. Not sure about the Prep campus though.

My Ds goes to a private specialist school (autism specific) and they have air con in most of the classrooms. It’s more important than usual because a lot of children with autism really struggle to self regulate their body temperature- more than most people- and for sensory reasons they often really hate wearing summer type clothing. I’m really grateful they have it this week.

Surely this would come through in the academic results? Both my children are in schools with good results so I don’t imagine there are A level students sweating in exam halls. And if there were I’d trust the schools to deal with it because whenever there is a problem of any sort they get on and fix it.

@karmakameleon Come on, there are so many factors affecting exam results, that you cannot say it's not an issue until and unless you see a visible drop in the results.

I can probably do the same office job in an air-conditioned office and in one with 33C.
By your logic, until and unless you see me getting the job wrong or taking twice as long in the hotter room, there is no problem? It doesn't make sense

Genuinely, do you think that private school heads would be willing to let their results drop due to bad weather. If the heat inside is manageable, they’d be using their coolest rooms for exams, making sure everyone is hydrated and comfortable and getting on with it. If it isn’t and they can’t accommodate, I’d bet the heads would be straight on the phone to the exam board. Because it’s quite unusual for schools in the UK to have air con and I’d bet they’d be making a case to use the back up exam date. And if they thought this was likely to be an ongoing problem, I’d best they’d prioritise air con. Maybe it’s unusual but I do actually trust the teachers at my sons’ schools to make the best decisions in the interests of their pupils. From my experience of state schools that isn’t always the case and sometimes you have to fight quite hard for fairly basic provision so personally I’d be more worried about my state school child sweating away in an exam hall without adequate water.

Schools with listed buildings don’t have an easy choice. CLSG for instance is in a heat absorbing, concrete jungle in a hot 1960s box. Grade 1 listed Barbican, so no aircon. The girls tough it out every year, and their exam results are exemplary.

I'm currently in my airconned office in one of our new buildings, but the main, senior school building is over 200 years old. We are listed, so would be a battle to get it installed, and also more £££ than we have. The Prep School, and other newer bits, are beautifully cooled.

All the new buildings have air con which is most of their classrooms but the old original house doesn't. But it's quite cool as thick walls etc.

@Pacificwave The girls tough it out every year, and their exam results are exemplary.

So there is no problem because their exam results are exemplary?

Like I said, I can probably do the same office job in a room without aircon.
At 45C I'd probably have a heatstroke.
At 34C without aircon, I might probably manage.
This doesn't mean there isn't a problem.
This doesn't mean I should work in a 34C environment.

If you fail to see that, I rest my case - we speak two different languages, our brains are wired too differently, there is just no point...

I mean, FFS, our laws make it illegal to transport live animals at more than 30C, but then we shouldn't bat an eyelid about pupils in crazy hot classrooms because their exam results haven't (yet) suffered????? What are you people on?

I can only talk about Spain and Australia, countries I know well because I've live in them for many years.

Air con is available on every state school in Spain and mostly in Australia except on regional towns on the outback.

Private schools don't have a monopoly on air con because parents can pay more for fees.

.

Unfortunately the UK

I’m not disagreeing with you. Search my name and you will see I am arguing for air conditioning all over this site. I’d like to see it in all schools.

Its just that I thought you were asking to know the “lay of the land.” It’s that many private schools are in old and listed buildings, they aren’t as “rich” as their critics claim. The children are bright and well taught and that is why they get fab results. Not because they have sone sort of air conditioning privilege. Far from it.

@Pacificwave Apologies if I misunderstood you

Bear in mind that older buildings (stone or very thick brick walls, smaller recessed windows, high ceilings), which private schools are more likely to have, often do better in the heat than modern ones. Our sixth form college (state) has older gothic revival buildings which are far cooler than the modern buildings.

1 prep school and 2 senior schools between the dc, none had air con. Not the classrooms nor dorms. Infact some of the classrooms were absolutely freezing in winter as they were listed buildings, Grade I & Grade II.

As I recall my private school didn’t have air con. I was however a building hundreds of years old and just seemed to have a natural way of being cooler in the summer than most of the modern schools built these days with the obsession over massive windows and Insulation

I have worked in both state and private schools and the number of classrooms with air con were similar - it is more about which rooms have the sun on them for most of the day. These are the ones that usually get aircon first.

It is a financial issue for both state and private. My neighbours school (state) only have 2 rooms with air con out of 12 because they are the 2 with the most direct sunshine. The Head has said she is looking into more AC in the future (they have done half days all this week).

There are a few rooms in both the prep and senior school with AC. Schools are providing early pick up and the few children that are left and having childcare (not education) are being put in those rooms..

But it’s the last week of school term for us - my kids are all due to be on enrichment/residentials/wind down. They are not missing normal learning.

This is only really an issue from May half term onwards which is basically exams plus enrichment for my kids so more scope to move things around. I suspect they will have a room suitable for doing exams with AC in after the latest development project. You just need one big room with cooling.

It’s a far bigger issue for state schools running to the end of July.

Both my two go to different private schools. Neither have Aircon. They’ve been being sent home at lunch time since yesterday.