Schools are being closed across Birmingham due to the heat
Mere Green Primary School have informed parents that the school will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday due to the Red Heat Health Alert that comes into effect tomorrow morning A
Thousands of pupils will either not be able to attend school this week or will head home earlier than usual because of full or partial schools closures amid the extreme heat.
We know parents at several schools in Sutton Coldfield - including Mere Green Primary have been told to keep their kids at home tomorrow and Thursday. Arthur Terry and Bishop Veseyt have also been in touch with parents.
Hundreds of schools have made decisions to either close completely, send children home early or make other adjustments such as relaxing uniform rules to help keep students and staff safe and comfortable.
It comes as a “heat-dome” settling over western Europe could bring temperatures of up to 40C by Wednesday, with this latest heatwave expected to surpass the record for June set in Hampshire in 1976.
Some 100 schools will be at least partly closed in Somerset over the next three days, with a similar number in Buckinghamshire and more than 80 in Gloucestershire, according to council data.
Many have explicitly cited red weather warnings and extreme heat for the reasons behind closures, with some explaining classrooms lack air conditioning and that travel to and from school could be risky in the high temperatures.
Extend Learning Academies Network, which runs nine primary schools across north Somerset, said in a letter to parents and carers that the schools will be closed all day on Wednesday and Thursday “due to the forecast severe heat”.
“The safety of our pupils, staff and families remains our top priority,” the trust added.
“We understand that these closures may cause inconvenience, but this decision has been made to ensure the wellbeing of everyone in our school community.”
Wessex Learning Trust, which runs 23 academies in the South West, announced in a post on Instagram that schools will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday “to keep children, families and staff safe”.
The trust said pupils will receive work during the closure period and families will be contacted about any trips, visits or events that may be affected.
Wyvern College in Eastleigh, Hampshire, which will be closed Wednesday and Thursday, said its leavers assembly and prom will take place with adjustments for heat.
Many schools have offered provision for students who cannot work at home or whose parents cannot collect them early.
Unions have been urging schools to take action during the heatwave.
Stacey Booth, GMB national officer, said: “No pupil or member of staff should be expected to learn or work in unsafe levels of heat.
“Once temperatures exceed 30C, schools should act quickly, use the cooler parts of the building, reduce physical demands, increase water breaks and make sensible adjustments to uniform and duties.
“These are practical steps that can make a real difference. If they can’t be done, school leaders should consider closing parts of the schools.”
School leaders’ union NAHT and teachers’ union NASUWT have called for school buildings to be modernised and a legally enforceable maximum classroom temperature to be set.
The Department for Education said it does not normally advise schools to close during hot weather because attendance is “the best way for pupils to learn and reach their potential”, but that school leaders should ensure they take “any steps necessary to make sure children are safe and comfortable”, as it laid out guidance on how to keep pupils safe.