Dozens of schools have been forced to close amid rare red warnings over extreme temperatures that are expected to hit record highs for June.
A ‘heat-dome’ settling over western Europe could bring temperatures of up to 40C in some parts of England and Wales in the middle part of the week, the Met Office has said.
The hot conditions, which have been very rare in the UK until now, will be accompanied by high humidity and very warm nights, making it hard for people to recover overnight, the forecaster warned.
A red weather warning for extreme heat covering an area stretching from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham was issued by the Met Office from 9am on Wednesday to 9pm on Thursday.
Scores of schools across England and Wales announced they would close or finish early later this week to protect pupils amid the extreme heat.
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The Buckingham School in Buckinghamshire said it will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday, and asked students to 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.’
The school, which has around 1,200 students until sixth form, said teachers will upload work online for pupils to complete.
St John’s Marlborough in Wiltshire said it will close early on Tuesday and be shut all day on Wednesday and Thursday before re-opening on Friday.
The Dorcan Academy in Swindon, Wiltshire, said on-site learning will finish at 11.30am on Tuesday, and the school will remain closed on Wednesday and Thursday.
Other schools in Sutton in south London and Haringey in north London have also been forced to close from Tuesday to Thursday.
Some schools will remain open this week but close at about lunchtime on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, including Pewsey Vale School, Dilton Marsh Primary and Malmesbury School in Wiltshire, Ditton Park Academy in Slough, Berkshire, The Bulmershe School in Reading, Berkshire, Cheam High School in Surrey and Sydenham School in London.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said it has written to all its members with guidance on dealing with the heat this week, including the impact on pupils and staff, legal positions and when to consider closure.
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.’
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a red health warning for six regions of England – the West Midlands, East Midlands, South East, South West, London, and the East of England – from 1am on Wednesday until 11pm on Thursday.
This indicates ‘a risk to life for even the healthy population’ as well as impacts beyond health and social care, with potential effects on transport systems, food, water, energy supplies and businesses.
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