Hundreds of schools in England and Wales to close in heatwave

Schools are buying portable fans to cool down classrooms. Photograph: Stuart Boulton/Alamy View image in fullscreen Schools are buying portable fans to cool down classrooms. Photograph: Stuart Boulton/Alamy Hundreds of schools in England and Wales to close in heatwave Unions say it is dangerous for schools to stay open in high temperatures Hundreds of schools across the south of England and Wales are expected to close or vary their hours this week, in an effort to combat the extreme heat and conditions labelled as dangerous by education unions. School leaders said they had warned parents about potential closures on Wednesday and Thursday, with many opting to end the day early to avoid the worst of the afternoon heat. Headteachers say they are deploying fans and portable air conditioning in classrooms where possible, although several reported that supplies of fans at local hardware stores had already sold out. Pupils in England face lost learning from flooding and extreme heat, study finds Read more Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said it could be dangerous for schools to remain open unless they were able to mitigate the heat, and warned: “Our Victorian school buildings have become greenhouses. “The government must step up. We need urgent, massive capital investment to retrofit our ageing school estates with proper ventilation, shading, and climate-resilient cooling infrastructure. “Expecting schools to carry on like normal right now is dangerous.” With temperatures expected to reach 40C within a “red zone” affecting London, much of the south-west of England up to Birmingham and parts of Wales , schools without air conditioning or adequate ventilation will struggle with the heat disrupting activities as well as their ability to support children with medical conditions or special needs affected by high temperatures. London boroughs are among the worst affected, with many primary schools allowing parents to collect their children early. Several schools in Berkshire and Wiltshire are to close, with St John’s Marlborough secondary school in Wiltshire among those telling parents it will close from lunchtime on Tuesday and remain closed on Wednesday and Thursday “due to red alert for heat”. One parent in Bristol who contacted the Guardian said her child’s primary school was closing after lunch on Tuesday until Friday, in contrast to the 2022 heatwave when the city’s schools remained open. “I am worried that this total lack of planning for the heat bodes poorly for kids and working families as summers heat up. School closures disproportionately impact kids and families where both parents work, or single parents, and particularly those in more precarious employment who may lose several days’ income,” said the parent, who asked to remain anonymous. The Department for Education’s policy in England is “normally” for schools to stay open during hot weather. The DfE said: “School attendance is the best way for pupils to learn