Rising Temperatures in UK Schools Raise Health and Learning Concerns
Following record-breaking temperatures in May across the UK, parts of England are currently experiencing another warm spell. While warm weather during half-term holidays may be welcome, enduring high temperatures inside classrooms presents significant challenges, particularly for children sitting exams or those with additional needs.
The BBC has received reports over recent years of teachers and pupils fainting, with exam halls reaching temperatures as high as 33C (91F).
"My daughter Amelia has a condition meaning she can't regulate her body temperature – she was going unresponsive in the classroom last summer,"says Victoria Everitt, a mother from Bedfordshire.
Even children without specific medical conditions can find hot classrooms difficult. Michael Conley, head teacher of St Peter's Church of England Primary School in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, explains:
"We've had children become excessively warm, where they've become sick or ill, dysregulated or out of control. They do fall asleep."
The Department for Education (DfE) states that although there is no maximum temperature limit for workplaces in the UK, including schools, it is "carefully considering" recommendations from the Climate Change Committee (CCC) to introduce such limits.
The CCC's latest report highlights that:
"High indoor temperatures can disrupt learning in schools by causing discomfort, reducing concentration, and increasing health risks for students and staff."
The Trades Union Congress has advocated for a legal maximum working temperature, while the National Education Union supports a maximum indoor working temperature of 26C (79F).
Impact of Heat on Learning and Welfare
Teacher Lucio Poli recalls two particularly hot periods at Ely St John's Community Primary School in Cambridgeshire.
"In the mid-2000s, I remember passing out, and I saw children pass out, too. About three or four of them went down like a stone,"he says.
"I was wearing formal clothing – that taught me not to overdress in hot weather."
Poli notes that his school had a "very reasonable head teacher" who permitted flexibility in clothing during heatwaves. However, in 2022, when temperatures reached 40C (104F), teachers raised concerns.
"But the message from county [council] was there's no limit on maximum temperature. The priority was to keep the schools open."
Cambridgeshire County Council stated that while the DfE provided heatwave advice to schools, the council also issued guidance including a heat checklist in 2022.
"In extreme weather conditions, [schools] would be expected to undertake a risk assessment,"a spokesperson said.
"Very few schools closed completely."
Poli, who leads outdoor learning, has planted trees to provide shade but describes the 1990s school building as "poorly constructed".
"Windows facing west, black tiles; you really can't keep the heat out,"he explains.
"Even on days in the mid-20s, the temperature can skyrocket. I genuinely dread temperatures above 30C.
On those really hot days, there hasn't been quality learning - just coping with the weather."
The school has been contacted for comment.
Investments to Improve School Environments
In Rickmansworth, Conley reports investing significant funds to enhance the school building.
"We bought artificial turf to cover the black asphalt playground, which reflected heat back into the building, and have also refurbished its roof, which has made a big difference."
"We installed air conditioning in half of the school, along with solar panels."
He aims to implement further improvements after some classrooms reached 40C (104F) last year, conditions he describes as "unbearable."
Conley notes that while some children may experience headaches and disengagement, those with special educational needs struggle significantly.
"They become quite emotional, cry, become agitated, almost can't focus,"he says.
"We often have to move them into different classrooms to manage temperatures.
Nationally, the government needs to seriously consider the long-term impact of the school estate – and start investing more."
Victoria Everitt concurs that hot weather particularly affects children with special needs, especially those using wheelchairs like her daughter Amelia.
"A lot of the children can't move themselves about to get to a cooler place,"she says.
"Those children won't necessarily say, 'I'm too hot, I need to cool down.' It can increase seizures; enhance behaviours."
After Amelia experienced several episodes last summer where she became "floppy and unresponsive," a local charity is assisting Everitt in raising funds for air conditioning at Ridgeway School in Kempston, Bedford.
"The staff are trying everything they can: fans, cooling towels, cold water,"Everitt explains.
"We need a more permanent solution so the staff can manage her condition."
Head teacher Lulu Stanier-Martin describes the school's building as over 50 years old.
"Poor insulation and outdated windows mean classrooms can become uncomfortably hot, which has a direct impact on pupils' ability to learn and regulate,"she states.
She urges the government to prioritize investment in upgrading school buildings to ensure they are "safe and suitable."
Heat Challenges During Exam Season
Heat-related problems often coincide with the summer exam period.
A Bedfordshire parent, who preferred to remain anonymous, worked as a GCSE invigilator in 2023.
"Most exams took place in the school's sports hall, which becomes very hot if the sun shines on it. It's unbearable during heatwaves,"she says.
"The exam officer taped over the temperature display on the digital clock, as she found the students otherwise complained.
During one exam, I saw the hall temperature was 33C (91F)."
Architectural Perspectives on Overheating
Jenny Kendall, an architect with Retrofit Action for Tomorrow (RAFT), a not-for-profit community interest company, explains that heat can reduce cognitive performance.
"Reducing classroom temperatures from 25C to 20C (77F to 68F) significantly improved task completion time,"she notes.
Kendall adds that overheating issues often align with times when pupils are expected to perform at their best during exams.
"These big sports halls are not designed as learning spaces, but for sports, so they don't have the ventilation,"she says.
Kendall observes that schools often feel powerless to manage heatwaves effectively.
"Our buildings in this country weren't designed for the climate now and in future - unlike schools in Europe or Africa that have designed shading into their buildings,"she explains.
Rebecca Cooper, another RAFT architect, notes that while schools may instinctively consider air conditioning, there are also passive strategies that can be used.
For example, planting trees can significantly improve shade and reduce temperatures.
Cooper describes using a thermal imaging camera at a London school playground, which recorded 50C (122F) on the tarmac compared to 30C (86F) under a large tree.
Her other recommendations include:
- Strategic shading
- Improved ventilation
- Use of reflective materials
- Optimizing building orientation
She remarks that many new schools built in the past decade still do not adequately consider heat mitigation.
"I recently visited northern France, where virtually every building had external shading.
Unless we have a cultural shift towards understanding how to mitigate heat, written into design guidance, I think we're going to build things that are not fit for purpose."
Government Response and Future Considerations
The DfE states that workplace regulations applicable to schools cover a broad range of health, safety, and welfare issues, including temperature.
It welcomes the CCC's latest risk assessment, which identifies flooding and overheating as risks to education settings, and says it will consider the committee's proposals.
For further stories related to Beds, Herts, or Bucks, readers are encouraged to contact the BBC.
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