Usa news

Full list of UK schools closing today ahead of extreme temperatures

Usa today news
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 , with Wednesday seeing the hottest day in June on the record with 36.1C recorded in Hampshire.

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.

Follow the latest heatwave news on Metro’s live blog

Sign up for all of the latest stories

Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.

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.

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?

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 said.

‘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.’

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.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Exit mobile version