The Met Office has issued a rare red warning for extreme heat covering parts of England and Wales, with temperatures set to hit 40C in places by Wednesday and Thursday. The warning comes into force at 09:00 on Wednesday and will last until 21:00 on Thursday for central, southern and south-east England, and parts of south Wales.
Several schools in the affected areas have already announced they will be closing early, with some shutting entirely during the worst of the weather this week. But there is no legal maximum temperature for classrooms, and the government does not normally advise schools to close, instead insisting that schools can usually be managed safely and that keeping children in school is important.
“Met Office issues rare red warning as temperatures could hit 40C; schools face closure decisions with no legal maximum temperature.”
Teaching unions have recommended that schools should aim to keep indoor temperatures at a maximum of 26C. School leaders will keep a close eye on temperatures and refer to their risk assessments, watching for pupils becoming tired more quickly, especially those who are vulnerable. If a head teacher does decide to close a school, they will need to talk to the chair of governors and their academy trust or employer first.
Some parents may already have received messages saying uniform rules are being relaxed and children can instead wear PE kits. Schools can also change start and finish times to avoid the worst of the heat, move lessons to cooler areas of the school, and the Department of Health and Social Care recommends children should not take part in vigorous physical activity when it is very hot, so PE lessons may be more sedentary than normal. CO2 monitors can be used to keep a check on ventilation.
Advice from the UK Health Security Agency says schools may have to close windows later in the day if it becomes hotter outside than inside, and fans should not be used if temperatures go above 35C. Teaching unions say schools will always be as creative as possible in taking all possible measures to keep children and staff comfortable, but this will be more difficult in some schools. They have called on the government to invest in making all school buildings more resilient to extreme weather.