Grasmere Primary School in the Lake District, Cumbria, has turned a local beck into a classroom to keep pupils cool during a scorching heatwave that saw record June temperatures. Instead of sending children home, the school moved maths, physics, and water safety lessons to the stream, where children paddled, built dams, and studied forces.
Head Teacher Praises Outdoor Learning
Head teacher Jo Goode explained the rationale: "Nobody's brain works sitting in a hot classroom, so we take our brains outside and cool them down - and have a lovely time." The school posted images on Facebook showing children splashing in the beck, with one post describing it as "pure happiness."
Lessons in the Beck
Classes engaged in various activities: Class 1 learned to manage risks like slippery stones and varying depths while admiring minnows; Class 2 played in the "rapids"; Class 3 became expert dam builders testing water resistance; and Class 4 enjoyed unstructured play. Ms Goode noted that some children measured drops from a bridge and calculated water resistance by positioning their bodies differently.
Record-Breaking Heat
The heatwave broke June temperature records twice in successive days. On Thursday, temperatures reached 36.7°C (98°F) at Merryfield, Somerset, surpassing Wednesday's record of 36.1°C (96.9°F) in Gosport, Hampshire. The previous record of 35.6°C (96°F) dated back to 1976.
Water Safety Focus
Ms Goode emphasized the importance of water safety: "They will remember these lessons, definitely. We're making sure they all know how to be safe in water - it's a really good opportunity to do that." She added that deeper pools allowed children to practise "float to live" techniques in safe, shallow conditions.
