Are you sending your children to school Tuesday and Wednesday?

[wonderouswelly]

I am a teacher and have heard lots of parents won’t be sending their children in during the heat wave next week.

Are you keeping yours off?

I am dreading it as a teacher; our classroom is so stuffy!

Everyone's bodies are different. Some people cope better with heat than others

I don't think everyone appreciates this. Acclimatisation, genetics, medication can all affect how our body deals with heat. I absolutely cannot, and one of my children suffers in the heat. It was never really this hot when they were at school but a temp of 35c will leave us feeling sick and dizzy no matter how much water we drink.

I turned my brain slightly inside out pondering this one and whether the temperature in the room is higher than body temperature, will the bodies heat it?

But sadly yes, bodies are like space heaters and warm up a room even if the room is technically hotter than they are. Bugger.

Imagine if Mediterranean children stayed home when it’s hot

Mediterranean children have bodies that are acclimatised to higher temperatures than children in the uk.

I'll probably keep both off basketball and football training (outdoor) on Tuesday and Wednesday. This Australian knows how to be sensible around extreme temperatures and high humidity unlike some of the "it's just summer" types

Thank you for the common sense.

They may realise but it's not for the parents to tell the head and teachers how to run the school or manage the heatwave.

Acclimatization takes place with sustained temperatures, not sudden yearly spikes. It takes up to 2 weeks for the body to adjust if healthy and relatively in good health.

@CityonFire my classroom windows open 1.5 inches and I have two walls of windows that face the sun for most of the school day.. it won't make enough difference!! (not arguing against students going in I just have read lots about open the windows / take them to the (very limited) shade on MN today)

Yes, of course

What about those who work outside? They don't have the luxury of blackout blinds, air con etc. and yet they just get on with it. What is this MN idea that everyone works in an office?

I don't believe this nonsense that you shut the heat out. This house certainly doesn't work that way

Mine does. It's an old house with a long stone flagged hallway. When it was 39c in the last heatwave the hallway was 26c and the adjacent rooms about 27/28c.
You have to keep the windows and curtains closed though, to keep it that way.
I also get up early and open both front and back doors for an hour to get rid of some residual heat (providing it's cooler outside than in)

I would certainly keep my children at home in 35c heat, and have done more than once. The school have never complained.

Yes, and when very warm/hot inside have fans facing inward on one side or end of your house/flat and fans facing out on the other when the air cools outside. You pull in cooler air and pump out warm air that way.

I read this every damn time a thread about heat is mentioned. Do you seriously think buildings in the UK are the only ones in the whole world designed to keep heat in? It seems to be something which is drummed into the population from birth. There are countries which are much colder in winter and also much hotter in summer, somehow the people there manage - but of course they are not "whinging Poms".

These threads have been going on for several years. Maybe instead of constant moaning it's time to take some sort of action to deal with the heat.

I work inside without aircon and I do laundry and steam press. I wouldn't expect my kids to cope and do this.

Again I didn't say the UK was the only country with buildings designed to keep the heat in. I'm just saying it is going to be hot because that's how buildings are designed in this country. Don't really see how making an observation is whinging but whatever.

Very sensible.

Also less risk of sunburn as sweating will melt off any sun cream in no time.

Also we need to watch drinking too much water as that can come with it's own problems.

And realistically UK houses aren't really built to be the most efficient at keeping heat in, either.

They're designed to be as cheap as possible, within the confines of building regs that over-correct on safety at the expense of quality or overall utility and efficiency.

I think it's important to remember that children don't tolerant heat like adults. Their bodies heat up more quickly than adults and they sweat less, making it more difficult for them to cool down.

I'm not saying they should be off school but speaking as a primary school teacher, this week will just be 'survival' in the majority of non air-conditioned schools. Very little learning will be done, if any, past 10.30am. Guaranteed! I've taught small children in enough heatwaves to know that.

It will mostly be a week of babysitting!

Also, the responsibility of some children's medical needs during extremely hot weather can be quite challenging. Of course, all the care plans and risk assessments are in place but it can be a worry.

Our primary school has sent an email out to say children can wear shorts and tee shirt , need a hat, water bottle and sunscreen to help stay cool . Let’s hope the secondary schools also allow children to remove blazers and ties ?

So if I can keep my children cooler at home with an AC unit, and am happy to do some general learning with them (preschool and Y1) then wouldn't that be better? They'll be more comfortable, probably learn more, and there'll be less kids in school for the teachers to look after for those whose parents have to go to work. I'm on the fence re sending mine in! Particularly to school as at preschool they'll do loads of water play and their whole outdoor area is under trees and shady.

I wont send our lot in. It’s miserable being that hot. They won’t learn anything. Hit countries absolutely do shut for hot days. The UK is less equipped than most to deal with the heat.

Is day that's exceptional circumstances tho, which you should be making a decision on at the earliest the night before. I'm assuming it's school taxi for a special school so they'll be far more understanding than if I just don't fancy walking my kids a mile to their location primary.

Ill.await the single snowflake arrival in 6 months.......

Yes, my son has GCSE mocks all week. He’ll be melting 🔥

Bought a 12 pack of water, drink the top 1/3 of each one and put the rest in the freezer. Then give him 2 each day topped up with water and they stay cool all day - top tip

Ive just put in my calendar to purchase a portable AC unit in December when the prices hopefully lower 😆