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Full list of schools closing in the UK today ahead of extreme temperatures

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Secondary school children sitting at desks during exam, girl with long hair writing in booklet
Schools across the county are closing ahead of today’s heat (Picture: Getty)

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 school closures amid the extreme heat.

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, 90 in Oxfordshire and more than 80 in Gloucestershire, according to council data.

Around 35 schools will be shut or operating on more limited opening hours in Hampshire, some 30 in the east London boroughs of Hackney and Barking and Dagenham and more than 20 in Worcestershire.

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Many have explicitly cited red weather warnings and extreme heat for the reasons behind closures, with some explaining that classrooms lack air conditioning and that travel to and from school could be risky in the high temperatures.

Temperatures will top 40C in many areas today (Picture: Getty)

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 well-being 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 on Wednesday and Thursday, said its leavers’ assembly and prom will take place with adjustments for heat.

Which schools are closing?

Are you prepared for the heat wave? (Picture: Getty)

London

Bristol

Hampshire

Buckinghamshire

Somerset

Oxfordshire

Gloucestershire

Devon

Sussex

Wales

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.

What has the reaction been?

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.

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’.

However, ensure they take ‘any steps necessary to make sure children are safe and comfortable’, as it lays out guidance on how to keep pupils safe.

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