With no laws on heat in schools, are pupils and teachers at risk?
With no laws on heat in schools – Schools across the UK are expressing worries over student and staff well-being as a heatwave alert is raised. While extreme temperatures have prompted closures in France, with over 800 schools shut due to the heat, British institutions typically remain open. Reports suggest that in recent years, classrooms have reached 33C (91F), with teachers and students experiencing heat-related incidents, including fainting.
Impact on Learning and Health
Victoria Everitt, a mother from Bedfordshire, highlights the challenges faced by her daughter Amelia, who has a condition preventing her from regulating body temperature. “Amelia became unresponsive in class last summer,” she explains. “It’s a real concern for parents, especially when children can’t communicate their discomfort.”
“We’ve had children become excessively warm, where they’ve become sick or ill, dysregulated or out of control. They do fall asleep,”
adds Michael Conley, head teacher at St Peter’s Church of England Primary School in Rickmansworth. He notes that even children without special needs struggle in heatwaves, with some requiring frequent breaks to manage discomfort.
Proposals for Change
The Department for Education (DfE) acknowledges that no official temperature limit exists for UK workplaces, including schools. However, it is “carefully considering” recommendations from the Climate Change Committee (CCC), which warns that high indoor temperatures can hinder learning, reduce focus, and pose health risks.
“High indoor temperatures can disrupt learning in schools by causing discomfort, reducing concentration, and increasing health risks for students and staff,”
states the CCC in its latest report. Advocacy groups like the Trades Union Congress push for legal maximum temperatures, with the National Education Union suggesting 26C (79F) as a suitable benchmark.
Local School Efforts
At Ely St John’s Community Primary School in Cambridgeshire, teacher Lucio Poli recalls intense heatwaves in the mid-2000s, where he and students experienced fainting. “I was wearing formal clothing – that taught me not to overdress in hot weather,” he says. Poli credits his school’s flexible approach, allowing staff and pupils to adjust clothing during heatwaves, but notes that the 1990s building struggles with heat retention.
“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.”
Meanwhile, Conley’s school in Rickmansworth has invested in cooling solutions, such as air conditioning in half the building and solar panels. Despite these efforts, some classrooms still hit 40C (104F), creating “unbearable” conditions. He emphasizes that children with special educational needs are particularly vulnerable, often becoming emotional, agitated, or unable to concentrate.
“We often have to move them into different classrooms to manage temperatures,”
he says. Conley urges the government to address the long-term effects of school infrastructure, arguing that increased investment is essential. Everitt supports this, noting that heat exacerbates issues for children with mobility challenges. “Those children won’t necessarily say, ‘I’m too hot, I need to cool down.’ It can increase seizures; enhance behaviours,” she says.
A local charity is assisting Everitt in raising funds to support her daughter’s needs during extreme heat events. As the summer heat intensifies, the debate over whether schools should have temperature regulations continues to gain momentum.
