Hundreds of schools across the UK have confirmed they will close this week as the country is hit by a heatwave. A red weather warning for extreme heat covering an area from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham was issued by the Met Office from 9am on Wednesday to 9pm on Thursday. It is the highest severity level the Met Office can issue. Heat-health alerts have also been issued by the UK Health Security Agency, which warns of 'increased risk to life across the whole population'.
School Closures and Operational Changes
The weather is expected to cause major inconvenience to parents as schools shut or close early to protect children from the heat. There is no 'legal limit' that means schools must close. The Department for Education said on its website on Monday that “during hot weather, we don’t normally advise schools to close.” It added: “This is because school attendance is the best way for pupils to learn and reach their potential, and hot weather can usually be managed safely. School leaders should make sure they take any steps necessary to make sure children are safe and comfortable, and the heat-health alerts can guide this.”
However, as of Tuesday lunchtime, more than 250 schools across South East England, South West England, London, East Midlands and the East of England had confirmed closures for later this week. Other schools will operate during morning hours but finish at lunchtime, with many more relaxing uniform rules. The reason why some schools have decided to close is because each is responsible for making their own operational decisions, and so have individual risk assessments in relation to weather conditions. As a result, due to the implications for pupils and staff caused by the extreme heat, and their statutory responsibilities, they have decided to close.
Examples of School Responses
For example, Buckingham School in Buckinghamshire said it will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday over fears the building may be too warm. Instead pupils will take part in online learning. In a statement on its website on Monday, the school said: “Because most of our buildings cannot be cooled adequately and there is little shade outside, we have taken the difficult decision to close the school site on both days (Wednesday and Thursday). All trips and other scheduled activities are also cancelled.”
Cheam High School in Sutton is running shorter days until Friday. A message on the school website reads: "With it expected to reach up to 37 degrees outside, many classroom spaces will become hotter than this, especially in the afternoon, which are not conditions conducive to learning when rooms are filled with students and staff. Due to this, we are going to run compressed days from 8.30am to 1.10pm from Tuesday 23rd June. This will ensure that students will still have 5 lessons each day, although each lesson will be slightly shorter. This will mean that they will not have to be out at lunchtime in the heat but disruption to their education will be minimised. We will be cancelling period 6 and work will be set for Year 12. Year 12 exams will continue as normal."
Calton Primary School in Gloucestershire is another school which will close early for the rest of the week. Giving the reason for the change, they said in a statement: "Due to the red weather warning and extreme heat, we have made the decision that school will close at 12.30pm for the next three days. This is to ensure the safety and comfort of our pupils. We currently expect to be open as normal on Friday, but this will be reviewed nearer the time. Gates will open at 12.20pm and children should be collected from their usual pick-up points. Children entitled to FSM will be provided with a packed lunch if required."
Guidance from Education Leaders
It comes after the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has said it has written to all its members offering guidance on handling the heatwave this week. Paul Whiteman, NAHT general secretary, said: "While there is no legal 'upper limit' for temperature in schools, (school leaders) will certainly be doing all they can to mitigate the effects of such high temperatures."
